Chris Francescani's otherwise solid Reuters article about George Zimmerman, with previously undisclosed and illuminating background info, is marred by Francescani's baseless assertion that Zimmerman "disregarded police advice against pursuing Martin." Actually, there's no known evidence that Zimmerman continued to follow Martin after the police dispatcher "suggested" he halt, but...

Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke is a modern woman who ably reaffirms that it's not sinful for females to enjoy sex out of wedlock. Rush Limbaugh clings to the opposite and very outdated notion that such behavior is steeped in shame. He deserves to be mocked rather than taken...

As is their wont, devotees of presidential candidate Ron Paul made their presence known on January 15 at the Three Kings Day Parade in Miami, an annual event that draws thousand of spectators. When one of them held up a sign touting their favorite candidate in front of a local...

Among those calling for the arrest of Lt. John Pike after he pepper-sprayed docile UC Davis students, are some who think a so-called citizen's arrest is in order. So far as I can tell, it is indeed possible for a civilian to legitimately put the cuffs on a peace...

Is fighting economic injustice such a righteous pursuit that it entitles Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protesters and their disciples to indefinitely control whatever space they invade? Even though the whole movement is centered around the word "occupy," deciding which property to take over, or how long to monopolize it,...

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California recently made big news when it filed suit against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for failing to provide military veterans with housing and care to which they are entitled at the VA's West Los Angeles campus. Another...

At a fundraising party for The Veterans Project last Saturday night in Los Angeles, three compelling speakers helped us connect somewhat different stories, all of which involve allegations that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) habitually deprives veterans of services to which they are entitled. CBS News...

The Supreme Court has never ruled Congress has authority under the Commerce Clause to impose an economic mandate on the general population, and until it passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) last year, Congress had never claimed it is so authorized. But a majority of American...

With a majority of states now challenging the constitutionality of requiring Americans to buy health insurance or pay a penalty, Northwestern law professor Andrew Koppelman, writing at Balkinization, takes a swipe at one of the plaintiffs' biggest concerns: If the federal government can force us to...

When someone who habitually drinks to excess vomits from the flu, it's not an indication he threw up from drinking too much. Though it would likely be beneficial for him to curtail his imbibing, it's not a good time to make that point.

Telling him then anyway, and expecting a...

In an op-ed published January 5 by the Guardian, Naomi Wolf argues that Julian Assange's alleged Swedish victims -- and all sex crime accusers -- should be publicly identified by their real names.

According to Wolf, anonymity "makes rape prosecutions more difficult" and perpetuates the insidious belief that...

Toward the end of The Tillman Story, a riveting new documentary about football/war hero Pat Tillman and his family's reaction to the circumstances of his death in Afghanistan, Vietnam war veteran Stan Goff describes the film as "an opportunity for reality to break through."

Goff is referring to largely...

In an op-ed published by the Washington Post, Rabbi David Nesenoff ascribes this incendiary opinion to the legendary journalist Helen Thomas, who was recently forced to retire after the rabbi posted an impromptu interview he had conducted with Thomas on the internet:

"The Jew has no connection with...

After he heard about Vet Mentor, a new program run by The Veterans Project, which connects military veterans seeking a career in the entertainment/media industry with experienced professionals, Marine vet Rick Reyes contacted me about his creative aspirations. We quickly found common ground. Rick told me of his...

Nadia McCaffrey, who turns 65 on Saturday, is a shining example of how one person can spark a chain reaction that leads to thousands of veterans receiving the help they need from the civilian community.

After her son was killed in Iraq, Nadia established the Patrick McCaffrey Foundation in...

Even biased judges sometimes decide cases correctly, and with free speech experts of all stripes applauding the Citizens United decision, it's far from apparent the Supreme Court falsely interpreted the First Amendment for political or ideological reasons.

Refuting conventional wisdom that the man who wrote the majority opinion was...

Wyclef Jean's defensive and amateurish video response to legitimate questions about his NGO, Yele Haiti, suggests doubts about the charity are well-founded.

Under fire for alleged financial improprieties and the perception he's in over his head trying to raise funds on a massive scale for earthquake...

At a public hearing yesterday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Chad Hummel, the lead defense attorney in Roman Polanski's criminal matter, wanted it known that although he had recently asked for an in-chambers meeting to confer about one particular issue of "great sensitivity," he had never suggested anything else...

One reason I don't hate Roman Polanski is I don't know exactly what he did with or to Samantha Geimer in 1977. Moreover, compared to those who perniciously enable systemic corruption by obsessing over the punishment of one person, I think Polanski's reaction to evident judicial misconduct is laudable. Why...

"Fundamental fairness and justice in our criminal justice system are far more important than the conviction and sentence of any one individual." - California Court of Appeal, Polanski v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County, 12/21/09

Demonstrating the same lack of self-esteem as prisoners who beat up...