Monthly Archives: January 2008

Squirrelly Politicians

Posted on January 17, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Maybe I read too many blogs, but when I saw News That Stays News at Unqualified Offerings reporting,

Dr. Eric Weisman, a behavioral neurologist who practices in rural western Kentucky, reported in the distinguished British medical journal The Lancet that he has treated 11 people for Creutzfeldt-Jakob in four years, and all had eaten squirrel brains at some time.

… it triggered an instant association: I immediately thought of a recent Talking Points Memo item pointing to this video in which former Gov. Huckabee explained that while in college he used to use a popcorn popper to cook squirrels:

…only to find as I kept reading that The Poor Man thought of the connection first.

Posted in Politics: US: 2008 Elections | Comments Off on Squirrelly Politicians

Note to Self

Posted on January 17, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Some interesting on-campus events (outside the law school) for this semester.

  • Wednesday January 23, Stephen Neale. Neale is the John H. Kornblith Family Chair in the Philosophy of Science and Values at CUNY and an expert on the language of law and the interpretation of statutes and regulations. The event occurs at the School of Business Administration's Storer Auditorium at 3:30 p.m.
  • Monday, February 25 and Thursday, February 28: Natalie Zemon Davis, the Henry Charles Lea Professor of History Emeritus at Princeton University and an adjunct professor and senior fellow at the University of Toronto, Canada
  • Tuesday, February 26: Edward Sullivan, dean for humanities and professor of art history at New York University
  • Thursday, March 6: Ruth Behar, professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan, and recipient of the MacArthur Foundation “genius” award.
Posted in U.Miami | 1 Comment

Sen. Feingold on FISA

Posted on January 17, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Senator Feingold has released a good statement on FISA:

It's Not Just About Immunity

When the Senate reconvenes next week, legislation to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will be among the first issues we address. I am as determined as ever to use all procedural tools at my disposal, including a filibuster, to try to stop the FISA legislation if it doesn't protect the privacy of law abiding Americans or if it includes immunity for telecom companies. I am also deeply grateful for the energy this community has put behind stopping this assault on the rights and liberties of Americans – it gave a huge boost to our successful effort in December to stop a bad FISA bill being rammed through the Senate. But while we had some temporary success last month, we face an uphill battle to fix the bill, particularly since the Democratic leadership still seems intent on bringing the flawed Intelligence Committee bill to the floor, rather than the better version approved by the Judiciary Committee.

Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties | Comments Off on Sen. Feingold on FISA

Disgusting

Posted on January 16, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Bush Admin. admits to destroying e-mails from start of Iraq War, Leak of Valerie Wilson's name and DOJ investigation of leak

Gov 101: comply with Presidential Records Act.

Bush 101: Lie like a rug. CREW's list of Previous White House Statements that Conflict with Yesterday's Filing:

Posted in Politics: US: GW Bush Scandals | 1 Comment

Al Franken’s Fourth Grade Teacher Endorses Him

Posted on January 16, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

I love this campaign commercial by Al Franken, who's running for Senate from Minnesota. It features his fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Molin:

Posted in Politics: US: 2008 Elections | Comments Off on Al Franken’s Fourth Grade Teacher Endorses Him

Eno Watch

Posted on January 16, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Brian Eno has agreed to serve as adviser on youth affairs to the UK Liberal Democratic Party.

Good for both of them.

Posted in UK | Comments Off on Eno Watch