The Roberts Court

Instead of going out with my friends tonight I've decided to sit here and go through cases the Roberts Court has presided over the last 5 years. I was egged on after having watched Christine O'Donnell's performance last night on CNN.

The one which sticks with me most recently, aside from all the absurd cases since 2000, is the corporate funding case, aka Citizens United.

I started doing some searching, and came across this NYTIMES Book Review article, which reviews Professor Ronald Dworkin's "Decision That Threatens Democracy." For the record, of all the professors I ever learned about when it came to law, Dworkin was always the most impressive.

Anyway, I'd suggest reading the article if you have a moment. Really sheds light on what this court, and largely, what many citizens in this country believe in.

In Citizens United, the Court imposed a heavy burden of justification on the government, and required solid evidentiary support for all justifications that the government offered. For example, the Court rejected as insufficiently supported by evidence the government’s argument that unrestricted corporate expenditures could lead to corruption of politicians, despite extensive congressional findings and evidence documenting precisely such corruption.

By contrast, in Humanitarian Law Project, the Court upheld the material support law based on justifications that were unsupported by evidence—and in some instances were not even advanced by the government. The Court reasoned that speech advocating peace and human rights might “legitimate” a designated terrorist group, thereby interfering with US foreign policy. And even though neither Congress nor the administration ever suggested as much, Chief Justice Roberts speculated that advising an organization on how to file human rights complaints with the United Nations might permit the group to use the law to “threaten, manipulate, and disrupt,” and that helping a group pursue peace might give it cover to prepare for its next attack.

It gets better...

Professor Dworkin's take.

Because

Because they're the Jets, and they consistently act stupid, sign problematic players, and seemingly make negative headlines, they hired Jenn Sterger.

I first heard of Sterger years ago when she was the FSU Girl, blah blah. The writing was on the wall then, this girl was going to do whatever it takes to become well known. Wasn't it? So the Jets hired her because that's what they do too.

Because he's Brett Favre, a guy who is much more myth than legend when you consider the whole package, he had to go after Sterger. Of all the strippers, sluts, hosts, models, and fan-whores who are out there, this is the one this genius decided to send cock-shots to.

Why would he do this? Because he's Brett Favre. Nothing more. He wears Wranglers, and has a set of goalposts in his backyard made from 1,000 year old Oak trees. He maintains the Southern drawl years after living as close to Canada as an American can. He tells you when he's coming to practice. He bangs chicks during golf outings in a golf cart on the 14th hole. Oh, you didn't know about that one? Yeah, well that happened. I know this because someone I trust enormously witnessed it.

Like Bill Clinton before him, he did it because he could. Except at least Bill used his sweet southern charm to go after the ugliest girl in the room. He didn't even know she's save the dress. But Brett? You didn't think she's save cock-shots and voicemails? Come on you fucken idiot, how could you not?

So this is how Favre's career will end, and of course the whole thing was brought to us via the NY Jets. That consistently special franchise.

Yeah, this girl:


And truth be told, she's not even that hot. She's stripper-hot, and stripper hot is really synonymous with trash.

I guess in the end it makes sense since the two of them are basically the same: trash.

Confessions

There's a story running in Sports Illustrated right now about former sports agent Josh Luchs, and his life in the business. It's an interesting read, but nothing earth-moving.

In sum, Luchs basically throws every single college athlete he ever came in contact with under the bus, and then trashed every person he ever worked for, or with, at the same time. He seems upset about the way he was dismissed as an agent, as if somehow he was treated unfairly by a former boss.

In other words, Luchs basically lied, cheated, and broke rules his entire career, but now is surprised he was mistreated by others who did the same thing.

He claims to be writing this story because he doesn't want his young daughters to one day search his name on the internet, and think to themselves, "Is that my daddy everyone thinks is a piece of shit?"

Guess what, kids, yes, your dad is a piece of shit.

There's nothing quite as beautiful as when a man wraps up his selfish motives, in order to profit, in the blanket that is family and love.

Let me tell you what he's really doing, kids.

He's writing this story in the hope a book publisher offers him a deal because that's how the industry works. Magazines gives stories life, and then publishers came along and hand someone more money to expand, assuming there's enough interest.

I want to do Josh Luchs a favor, right now, by helping his daughters understand what they will inevitably learn about Pop.

Your dad is trash.

And probably cheats on your mom.

Good luck with him.

And to Luchs, just be glad CNN/SI gave you a platform to whore yourself out one more time.

We Are!

In Trouble...

This is now FOURTH hand material, but the person I received it from is pretty solid. I never post this stuff, but it's too interesting not to.

Regarding Joe Paterno and the Penn State Football Program

The last two home games we've been lucky enough to tailgate with a member of the coaching staffs family before the games. We asked one of the coaches wives what was going on with the program and the staff and the answers were disturbing to say the least. She said.........

1. Joe is not at practice more than an hour a day. He also rarely if ever attends any of the coaching or game prep meetings. She said people don't know how sick he was in the offseason implying that he went through a serious medical issue that has not been publicly reported. He has absolutely zero input into the gameplanning, and doesn't even know what it is until Friday night.

2. The dissention amongst the staff is at an all-time high. When Joe is not there, it's a contest to see who can act like they are in charge. There have been verbal arguments in front of the team in the middle of practice sessions between assistant coaches yelling at each other that they are in charge and are going to do what they want at that point of practice.

3. Multiple coaches on the staff have been reaching out to gauge interest from other programs as they are worried about their future in the program. One "high profile" coach on the staff actually reached out to the head coach of another PA school over the summer saying he was worried about his future at PSU and laying the groundwork for a possible move in the future.

4. There is a process in place amongst the staff to determine if a high school prospect should get an offer. Some of the coaches will vote against offering or recruiting certain kids just to spite the coaches who want them offered or are their primary recruiters. Whether this is actually going on or not I do not know, but at least one coach on the staff feels that way. For this reason, the coaches who actually do recruit have basically thrown their hands in the air and almost stopped recruiting all together.

5. "If Tom Bradley is the next head coach, the real coaches will leave in about 30 seconds."

I realized things were bad for Coach Paterno when he shit himself on the sideline of the Ohio State game in 2008. That was not one of those situations where someone trips and breaks the arm, but it's so funny you can't help but laugh.

This past summer he was interviewed during the Big Ten Coaches meetings by members of the media, and you could tell the man had no idea where he was, or why he was even there. His jokes no longer resonated, and I think he even referenced a player from the late 90s when referring to the current team.

It's over for Coach Paterno. I'd be surprised if he finished the season.

"Coach Schiano's office."

"Hi, this is Tim Curley, Athletic Director from Penn State. Is Coach Schiano in?"

"Hold one second please."

...

"Hey, Greg, Tim here. Are you free Saturday?"

"Uhh, hey Tim. Which Saturday?"

"All of them?"