150 Years for Madoff -- What Happened to the Parsimony Clause?

Remember Alec Baldwin opposite Meg Ryan in Prelude to a Kiss? Well he is now looking more middle-aged but has taken his sharp observations to politics. See his blog at huffington post or his interview on Bill Maher (HBO Real Time) or Letterman. He's nailed it on the Madoff case. How on earth was 150 years "not greater than necessary" to achieve the purposes of punishment? Isn't Madoff like 85?

Is Justice2B Sotomayor Sexist?

Click here to get the GOP demonization of Sonia as the Great Emasculator, which reports that "Pat Buchanan regularly reminds the public that Obama's nominee can’t wait to get her hooks into the rights of white men."

Ha. These old men (Rush, Pat etc.) are still not confident in their manhood? And here's a question: who cares that Sonia was in some all-women's club that no man had ever sought to join? Click here for that story. Just for the record, and to protect all our members who actually have career goals to make the world a better place, only to be subject to this inane scrutiny:

Here at CLAW we've never turned away a single self-respecting man who has applied for membership.

Guest Blogger JaneAnne Murray on Sanford and the Importance of Criminal Defense

What do you mean it has nothing to do with our work, Jan? It involves a sanctimonious law-and-order politician, whose voting record on crime is strongly on the Republican end of the spectrum (though not as bad as some, we’ll grant); it involves an Argentine beauty who will do and say anything to ingratiate herself with a U.S. benefactor; it involves a law-and-order stalwart finally seeing the importance of humility and forgiveness (however temporary); it involves someone who compares himself to King David (who was the same David of David-and-Goliath fame); and it involves potentially a bunch of federal and state crimes . . . But I love your point that this is really a morality tale about putting heterosexual, white men in positions of power (whoever said they had the monopoly on wisdom).

Totally unrelated, the website that gave CLAW its fabulous logo has a whole new program for supporters of Iranian dissidents. I’d make a t-shirt for my son, but the camp he is starting tomorrow has very strict rules about t-shirts – they must wear a plain vanilla one that says “we’ve got that spirit!” . . . whatever that spirit is.

Gov. Mark Sanford -- Needs a Good CLAWing?

The Mark Sanford Argentine Lover scandal has NOTHING to do with our work, so why are we so intrigued by it?Read this New York Times Gail Collins OpEd piece here and don't miss the embedded line:"perhaps it is time to rethink the idea of constantly electing middle-aged heterosexual men to positions of high importance."

Whoa! Then there are those who ask what's up with the disturbing glee that, well, I, for one, feel upon seeing a hypocrite like Sanford exposed in a most embarrassing way. What does that say about us gleefully imperfect agnostics? (One of the few demographics to whom Governor Sanford most decidedly did NOT apologize. Click here to see the faithful flock to whom he DID apologize.)

Then there's the view, held by my buddy in the court cafeteria, that Sanford gets a break because, unlike dogs like Clinton and Spitzer, he was so obviously in looooooove. (Click here to read his hilarious emails to his Argentinian girlfriend. I haven't heard schlock like this since the make-out session after the junior prom!)

How Does Justice2B Sotomayor Scare the GOP Today?

Click here to get the GOP demonization of Sonia as the Great Emasculator, which reports that "Pat Buchanan regularly reminds the public that Obama's nominee can’t wait to get her hooks into the rights of white men."

Ha. These old men (Rush, Pat etc.) are still not confident in their manhood? And here's a question: who cares that Sonia was in some all-women's club that no man had ever sought to join? Click here for that story. Just for the record, and to protect all our members who actually have career goals to make the world a better place, only to be subject to this inane scrutiny: Here at CLAW we've never turned away a single self-respecting man who has applied for membership. Or any other men for that matter.

Paper Reports on Justice2B Sotomayor's Long-term Friendship with CLAWster Dawn Cardi

Click below to read about our own Dawn Cardi and her family's sweet friendship with the Supreme Court nominee.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/05/27/2009-05-27_sonia_shares_her_joy_with_best_friend.html