Wayne County wants to get into the slavery reparations business

In the Detroit News Article Wayne targets profits from slavery: County may require disclosure by firms that win contracts, the News reports that the Wayne County Council is weighing an ordinance to force firms bidding on county contracts of $20,000 or more to disclose whether they “invested in, or supported or profited in some manner from the institution of slavery.”

That should surely improve Wayne County's business climate.

Has the Board of Commissioners ever heard of a basic legal concept known as the Statute of Limitations?

Have they heard that, as reported in the article, Lawsuits seeking reparations have failed for one big reason: Slavery was fully legal until the 13th Amendment in 1864, said Robert A. Sedler, a Wayne State University law professor who has studied the issue.

To pass this ordinance as a feel-good measure which will increase the costs of companies doing business with Wayne County while Michigan is in an economic downturn truly shows that rather than try and improve the economic condition of the County, the Commissioners want to score cheap political points with its base with its attack against the wealth of the old-money companies.

CNN -- on the Other Side

CNN, the cable network that admitted to sitting on stories that gave a true picture of life in Iraq under Saddam.

CNN, the cable network that coddles Castro to keep its Cuba access.

CNN, the network that carefully covers up and shills for dictators in return for access, seems to have no trouble attacking and attempting to undermine democracies.

in CNN camera crew detained near Dimona reactor The Jerusalem Post reports that a CNN Camera Crew was caught filming in a restricted area where no photography is allowed near the Dimona nuclear reactor.


The article noted that CNN has a history of violating Israel censorship. It was taken off the air temporarily during the 1991 Gulf War when it revealed the location of Scud rocket impacts, information that could help launchers adjust subsequent missile strikes.

CNN covers for dictators and murderers but would publish data to make it easier for these same dictators to attack democracies.

CNN, the cable network that isn't there to provide news, its simply on the other side.

More from "The British Have Lost Their Minds" File

From Little Green Footballs.

British-based Al-Muhajiroun leader Omar Bakri Muhammad has openly threatend attacks on London and shows the Islamist face of evil for all to see:

“It’s inevitable. Because several (attacks) are being prepared by several groups,” Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad told Lisbon’s Publica magazine from London where he is based.

. . .

He added: “We don’t make a distinction between civilians and non-civilians, innocents and non-innocents. Only between Muslims and unbelievers. And the life of an unbeliever has no value. It has no sanctity.”

It was important to see accusations of terrorism in their proper context, he said.

“If we give money to needy women and children, they say they are the families of terrorists. But where do the terrorists come from? Zimbabwe? No. They are people from here. And they are our brothers, the terrorists.”

. . .

The Syrian-born cleric heads the al Muhajiroun group, which has praised the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and the al Qaeda militant network blamed for them. ...

Asked about his comments that he wanted to have the banner of Islam at 10 Downing Street, Muhammad said, “Yes, it’s my dream. I believe one day that is going to happen. Because this is my country, I like living here.”


As noted by one of the Commentors on the site (#53 Right Wing Conspirator ), this lovely person actually receives British welfare benefits.

Unbelievable, the British Government is actually subsidizing his hatred, advocation of terrorism against the British and attempts to overthrow the British Govenrment.

Group Wants Michigan Juries to be Selected Based on Race

In the Ann Arbor News, it is reported that the group People of Diversity United for Equality want to place on the November 2004 ballot a "proposal that would allow plaintiffs or defendants in civil and criminal trials to request that 50 percent of a jury be identical to the plaintiffs' or defendants' own race. "

PODUE [Is that a horrid acronym or what?] President Roderick Casey, 46, said the purpose of the drive is to "empower disenfranchised" individuals, particularly the poor and people of color, involved in the judicial system.

This is simply insane, an affirmative action scheme for juries. Why only make the jury racially similar to the defendant? How about class, gender, hobbies, political beliefs and support of the same sports teams? After all two Detroit Red Wings fans have much more in common than, for example a Red Wings fan and a supporter of the Nashville Predators. Indeed, it is well known that supporters of the Nashville Predators are horribly under-represented in the Michigan jury pool and likely to suffer discriminatory effects from Red Wings fans (especially during this year's playoff season).

One would think this measure would be unconstitutional on its face. We already have good Supreme Court law that preemptions peremptory challenges (Thank you for the correction Prof. Volokh!) cannot be based on race (Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986); Powers v. Ohio, 499 U.S. 400 (1991) and others) or gender (J.E.B. v. Alabama, 511 U.S. 127 (1994) and others).

One would think a requirement that 50% of the jury must be a certain race would also offend the Equal Protection Clause.

Ruben Navarrette seems to follow along with Kos' "Screw the Mercenaries" meme

While stated in a more polite manner than Kos, but in a Kos-like editorial carried nationally by the Washington Post Writers Group and picked up by the Detroit News, Ruben Navarrette in his article "Modern-day mercenaries blur vision of Iraq" seems to hold the four Americans killed in Iraq while protecting a food convoy in contempt and states any appeals to his sympathy was a result of manipulation as the news reports did not initially state the dead were employed by Blackwater as security.

I admit that when I first saw the images from Fallujah, I wanted the administration to send a message that we wouldn't be scared off from what is, I am still convinced, a just war. Now that I know more about what these four men were doing in Iraq and at what price, I feel manipulated. Here we were originally told that these were civilians killed while doing humanitarian work. Someone left out the part about how these civilians were also hired guns.

The administration had the right response, but we shouldn't blur the line between these modern-day mercenaries and U.S. military personnel.

One group takes with it the prayers of a grateful nation. The other takes its chances.

While Navarrette is more polite than Kos, as he didn't directly come out and say screw em, his sentiments are the same.

Somehow being paid by a private company rather than by the government while guarding a food convoy causes the likes of Navarette and Kos to lose all respect for the dead Americans. These Americans were in fact "civilians killed while doing humanitarian work" and Navarette's snide remark that because they were "hired guns" and that they as a group should take their "chances" is more revealing about Navarette's prejudices than the grateful nation for whom they died serving.

Fieger expected to be appointed to Michigan Film Board

Geoffrey Fieger is an outstanding and flamboyant Plaintiff's lawyer, who tends to get reversed on appeal quite a lot. He had previously ran for Governor on the Democrat ticket, but then did not run against Granholm for the most recent Democrat nomination.

From the Detroit Free Press

In a correction to the above article, The Freep Noted he had not yet been appointed:

Terry Lawson's Entertainment at Large column Sunday reported that lawyer Geoffrey Fieger had been appointed head of the Michigan Film Advisory Board. Although Gov. Jennifer Granholm has announced her intention to appoint Fieger as chairman, a position that doesn't require Senate approval, the appointment has not been formally made. The governor's office said Friday that Fieger is still expected to be appointed to the position.


It is expected that soon after his appointment is finalized, films depicting Defense Lawyers in a sympathetic light will be banned in Michigan.

The ABA, Brown v Board, and Gun Control

The ABA in the ABA Journal, has a special feature on the Brown v. Board decision that ended segregation.

The ABA has a feature article: Making Brown Real - A North Carolina Family Fought Threats and Intimidation After Suing to integrate Schools.

In the Article, it recounts the following incident:

Christine Coppedge remembers the fall night in 1966. Five cars bearing Confederate battle flags headed up the long narrow driveway toward her family's home . . .
That night, Christine Coppedge knew the men were coming for her family. She had been warned. And she was prepared. With her husband away finishign his Baptist seminary studies, she borrowed a semi-automatic rifle and positioned herself behind an old oak tree near her Federal-style house.
As the cars neared, she opend fire. Not surprisingly, the intruders retreated, backing up so quickly they comically bumped into each other on the way out.

Mrs. Coppedge used an "assault weapon" to defend the lives of herself and family and protect them as she struggled for their civil rights.

The ABA however, supported the "assault weapons" ban and supports its extension, as well as other measures to prevent citizens from having access to firearms to protect themselves. Had this ban been in effect then along with the other bans the ABA backs to deprive law-abiding citizens of firearms, perhaps Mrs. Coppedge would not have been able to have so ably defend herself and family and go on and become a named plaintiff and ultimately beat segregation in court.