If you doubt the law’s capacity to transform almost anything into a farce, look no further than the case of Disabled Americans for Firearms Rights, LLC, et al., v. Dannel P. Malloy. It alleges that Connecticut’s new ban on assault weapons discriminates against the disabled, and therefore violates the state’s constitution and state laws.
The lawyer filing the suit even wrote a press release to accompany the suit. “I am proud to represent ... Disabled Americans for Firearms Rights in this important case,” Scott Camassar of North Stonington writes....
April 11, 2013
Forgive me if I do not greet with open arms the Green Haven Cohousing project’s attempt to change zoning regulations for the Town of Bethany. The project proposal is, in fact, little more than a Trojan Horse that would, if approved, destroy what remains of Bethany’s rural character. It would do so in the name of peace, love, granola and good feeling for all.
Green Haven is a politically correct group who claims virtuous intent. Its web page announces the following purpose: "In our cohousing community members work together to create a socially rich community that is safe,...
April 9, 2013
Soren Kierkegaard got it at least half right: "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." But does it follow from this that our sense of freedom is a mere illusion? Perhaps.
Sam Harris thinks free will as an illusion. It is an error, he says, to "attribute agency" to the action of others and even to our own acts. "There is no question that our attribution of agency can be gravely in error. I am arguing that it always is," he writes. "[T]he idea that we, as conscious beings, are deeply responsible for the character of our mental lives and subsequent behavior is...
April 7, 2013
Let’s not congratulate ourselves too much about having addressed gun violence. Yes, the General Assembly passed new gun control legislation. But the new law is merely a baby step on the road to meaningful reform. The fact is, we’re still armed to the teeth, and prone to violence. There will be more needless deaths.
The new law requires background checks for all firearms purchasers, and bans the sale of certain assault weapons in Connecticut. Large-capacity ammunition clips are now unlawful to purchase, but not to possess, if they are registered. Background checks will now be...
April 4, 2013
March 28, 2013
Just whose life is now in danger in the wake of the mass shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut? There is no reason to...
March 28, 2013
You can thank the Women’s Christian Temperance Union for the recent firestorm in Torrington involving two former football players on the...
March 22, 2013
The University of Connecticut School of Law turned a new page in its epic identity crisis last week. It snared a tip-top white-shoe lawyer to...
March 21, 2013
I have a homework assignment for you. Find a computer. Click onto YouTube, and then search for videos of the Otmoor starlings. When you’ve had...
March 17, 2013
If it is in fact true that one year in the life of a dog is equivalent to seven years in the life of a human, my dogs, Penelope and Odysseus, and I...
March 15, 2013
How far was Clarence Darrow willing to go in support of his clients? The law requires a duty of zealous advocacy. We are required to make our...