Unapologetic
How long must societies face penance for past sins? Individuals have it easy – there are either statutes of limitation or you die; either way, it’s over. Human societies, on …
Read MoreTag: law and crime
A tale of two angry young men
Two mass shootings in the US in two days, two very angry and disturbed young men. In El Paso: A manifesto posted online shortly before Saturday’s massacre at a Walmart …
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What if you banned the burqa and nobody came?
I’m ambiguous about the burqa and the niqab (more Islamist than Islamic head to toe “modesty wear” which leaves the whole face covered except for eyes). On the one hand, …
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The Collusion Delusion
I’ve always remained sceptical of the claims of conspiracies between Trump and Putin. It’s not because I’m a fan of Trump’s (and definitely not Putin’s). And it’s certainly not because …
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Are immigrants animals?
Of course not, but this has not stopped some in the social media and the mainstream media from twice in a space of a single year disingenuously misquoting the same …
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Polish Ripper
They always find ways to blame the migrant: Jack the Ripper who stalked London more than 130 years ago was a demon barber with a taste for human flesh, according …
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Suffer more children
A reminder – if really needed – that child sexual abuse is not all institutional: Nine men have each been jailed for up to 20 years for inflicting an “appalling …
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Cardinal Sin and twelve angry men*
A few thoughts about the Cardinal George Pell verdict a few days back: 1. Child sexual abuse is a heinous crime, no ifs and no buts. So is mental and …
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#UnderageLoveWins in Germany
No age of consent? No problem: According to the German publication Die Welt, the court ruled it unconstitutional for Germany to outright ban child marriages that were lawfully conducted abroad. “In …
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All onboard the Lolita Express
We are all equal in the eyes of law, but all too often rich scumbags have the resources and connections to make themselves less equal than others. “Miami Herald” has …
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Drain the swamp, lock her up, build the wall… and break them up
In case Donald Trump needs more of an agenda post-midterms, here’s a helpful suggestion from Glenn Reynolds: I’ve just finished reading Columbia Law professor Tim Wu’s new book on antitrust, …
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Bloody Sheik blames the bloody Prime Minister
I wrote yesterday about the backlash by Islamic leaders around Australia against the remarks by Scott Morrison to the effect that “the greatest threat of religious extremism in this country …
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The Unbearable Lightness of Anne Aly
A few days ago in Melbourne, a Somali-born Islamist Khalif Shire Ali set his car alight and stabbed three people, one of them fatally, on a busy CBD street before being …
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Pakistan vs Asia Bibi
A long running case reaches its final stage: A Pakistani court has overturned the death sentence of a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy, a case that has polarised the nation. …
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Europe’s blasphemy, old and new
Europe is a big continent , with lots going on in different parts of it, but I’ll be quite interested to see how these two trends might get reconciled: Ireland’s …
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Would I would tell my children about Kavanaugh
This morning over breakfast, my 8-year old said to me: “How can we live in a world where survivors’ stories are not listened to and a rapist now sits on …
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Guilty until never proved innocent
As an Indiana judge said at the height of the 1870s Women’s Crusade forcing saloons to close through sit-ins and pray-ins, “Mob law enforced by women is no better than …
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The Mysterious Case of a Georgetown Party
As the FBI investigates the accusation that Judge Kavanaugh attempted to sexually assault Christine Blasey Ford when in high school, maybe they can dig deeper into this little mystery that …
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One year on, Vegas in the dark
What goes in Vegas stays in Vegas. Monday is the first anniversary of the worst mass shooting in American history: Marquees at resorts along the Las Vegas Strip will go …
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Flakey inputs, Flakey outputs
Doesn’t that picture just look like a Renaissance painting? “The Last Temptation of Flake” by Rembrandt. Anti-Trump retiring Republican Senator Jeff Flake has brokered a compromise of sorts: U.S. Sen. …
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