A few years ago, a phrase suddenly appeared in our lexicon that took on a somber and serious tone, “credibly accused.” People, particularly in the media, began using it to make an unproven but possible accusation sound ominous. He could have done it. So? It’s not burden of proof, not even one as low as probable cause. It’s just a phrase someone made up and got traction because some people needed a way to create the impression of guilt without any of the nasty burdens like evidence. And yet, there it was, repeated regularly and taken seriously.

There’s a new phrase in the offing, “humanitarian pause,” that’s suddenly ubiquitous. It has now found its way into a New York Times editorial. After four paragraphs of strongly worded factually sound characterizations of what Hamas did to Israel, the Times editorial board basically tries to get its readers’ heads out of their collective butts to see reality through the fog of failed ideology. Continue reading →

Prefatory note: The following is part 2 in the latest series of Sheriff Roy stories. For Part 1, please see “A Car Story.”—CLS They/Them

Sheriff Roy dialed a number for Kollision King in Dismal Seepage, Arkansas. It was a phone tree, which the Sheriff despised greatly. After punching a few numbers in and listening to a couple of menus, a woman with a slightly nasal tone to her voice reminiscent of Fran Drescher* answered.

“Kollision King, where your Car reigns supreme. How can I help you?”

“I’m calling about getting my wife’s hood latch fixed.”

“Okay, we can help with that. What’s your name, sir?” Continue reading →

In an excellent column, David French provides a sound and easily understood description of three areas of law at particular issue on campus in the current iteration of the culture wars. One issue involves free speech.

Critically — and this might be counterintuitive — this right to engage in provocative speech can even include endorsing violence. For example, in a 1969 case, Watts v. United States, the Supreme Court reversed the conviction of a young man who publicly stated at an antiwar rally, “If they ever make me carry a rifle, the first man I want to get in my sights is L.B.J.” Continue reading →

It began with an open letter from students at Columbia University and Barnard, which neglected to mention the terrorism perpetrated by Hamas on October 7th, but placed the blame entirely on Israel. It was poorly received by some, who rented trucks to shame the signatories to the letter.

This gave rise to a faculty open letter which condemned the “harassment” of students and proceeded to justify the students’ position that Israel brought the raping of women, beheading and roasting of babies, cutting off of a mother’s breast, gouging out of a father’s eye, cutting off the feet of a daughter and fingers of a son, before eating their meal, upon itself. Continue reading →

Back when the effort was to end discrimination in bail and sentencing decisions by removing the decision-making from judges and introducing empirical factors, it seemed like a great step forward. Until, that is, it turned out that the use of the Sentence-O-Matic 1000 was just as “bad,” if not moreso, than judges. As reliance on empiricism failed to fix disparate outcomes, but rather further embedded them and gave cover to judges who could no longer be blamed, a fix was demanded.

The argument was that the same factors being used for empirical decision-making were the factors giving rise to disparate outcomes in the first place. The fix was simple: tweak the factors to produce the desired outcome. The only problem, of course, was that it was no longer empirical, but manipulated to create the impression of empiricism while producing the “right” outcomes. Continue reading →

There have been many videos of people tearing down posters of people kidnapped by Hamas, from Palestinians to Jewish students to an NYU SBA president to a dentist to a Broadway producer.

This is Anna Epstein. Anna is a student at Boston University and is seen here ripping down posters of kidnapped and missing Israelis. While fellow Jews are being beheaded, raped, and kidnapped by Hamas, Anna believes this is merely propaganda.

Like us, you’re probably wondering… pic.twitter.com/sohITW7d9F

— CAMERA on Campus (@CAMERAonCampus) October 23, 2023

Continue reading →

“It’s not about Jews” has been a constant retort to assertions that the progressive left wing, including many Jewish Americans who carry the banner of Palestinians, who desperately seek to distinguish hatred of Israel and Zionism from support for Hamas, hatred of Jews and terrorism happening here. But it is about terrorism and is, whether they want it to be true or not, about Jews, as the students at Cornell University learned yesterday. Continue reading →

Over and over, I think of the words of Lyrissa Lidsky.

Nevertheless, I know that in the war of generations, the younger always wins.  I just wonder what victory looks like.

The answer is beginning to emerge. Continue reading →

Every week or so, Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic sends out a “thought provoking” question as part of his Up For Debate series. This week’s struck a particular chord.

Two friends, Petra and Rodrigo, are having an argument.

Petra thinks the world is best if people stay in their lane and do their job as best they can, narrowly construed. CEOs should try to maximize profits within the law. Emergency-room doctors should do their best to save the life of every patient. Lawyers should represent every client to the utmost of their ability. Scholars should publish their findings as accurately as possible. And parking-meter attendants should write citations without regard for who is getting them. Continue reading →

Ron DeSantis (because of course, Ron DeSantis) called upon Florida Universities to shutter the student organization Students for Justice in Palestine. The group, which has existed for years, has seized upon the moment to flex its muscles by extolling the virtue of Gazan liberation, and by extension, Hamas. In light of the terrorism perpetrated by Hamas, DeSantis pulled the plug.

State University System of Florida Chancellor Raymon Rodrigues announced the order on Tuesday, citing the on-campus activism of National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a student group that is active at both the University of Florida and the University of Southern Florida. Continue reading →