Tornado Alley (PROG)

[F6]

our Supreme Court in recent action:

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Supreme Court imposes limits on public funding of campaigns

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., in his majority opinion striking down an Arizona campaign-finance law, said the government cannot "attempt to equalize electoral opportunities in this manner."
In a 5-4 decision along ideological lines, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down an Arizona law offering extra 'matching funds' to candidates who face a well-heeled opponent.
June 27, 2011
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sc-dc-court-arizona-election-20110627,0,6535064.story [with comments]

(linked in) http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=64661369 and following

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Supreme Court rules violent video game ban unconstitutional: What is the most violent game?

06/27/2011
The Supreme Court k-o’d a video game ban California enacted to prevent the sale or rental of violent video games to minors. In a 7-2 vote — Clarence Thomas and Stephen Breyer dissented — the court found the law violated minors’s rights under the First Amendment, saying that there is no restriction on children’s access to depictions of violence.
So what was the ban trying to protect kids from? Here’s a quick rundown on some of the most violent games and what they offer up to impressionable young minds.
Grand Theft Auto: The “hero” is actually a criminal, with a passion for killing police officers. Hiring prostitutes restores your health. You can chose to drink and drive. Oh, and beating a woman to death with a baseball bat at a strip club? Just another day in the gaming world.
Manhunt: Described as “pornographically violent,” this game has the hero — a mental patient — attempting to escape from an insane asylum. In the dash for the exit, pretty much anything goes — including torture with a pair of pliers and using a sickle to rip open skulls.
Mortal Kombat: The cartoonish red blood may seem like child’s play nowadays, but back in 1992 when the game came out, in a video game world of Super Mario-mushroom squashing, the Mortal Kombat rip-out-the-spinal-cord move was as gory as you could get, perhaps only surpassed by the tearing-out-the-beating-heart-with-your-bare-hands move.
Bioshock: Filled with gruesome surgery scenes, little girls using syringes to attack, and corpses being turned into artwork, the game is chock-full of nightmare-inducing scenery. On top of all that, players can choose to kill those little girls.
These are just some highlights from the gory-world of gaming.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/supreme-court-rules-violent-video-game-ban-unconstitutional-what-is-the-most-violent-game/2011/06/27/AGFPrYnH_blog.html [with embedded links and comments] [a 7-2 where on the result at least I agree with old "Where's my gift!?" Clarence in dissent? -- hmm -- maybe somebody'd forgotten to forward him the latest version of 'Manhunt'? -- . . .]

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Supreme Court to decide whether police can attach GPS device to a car without a warrant
Is tracking a motorist for several weeks with a GPS device an 'unreasonable search' under the 4th Amendment? The Supreme Court says it will hear the case this fall.
June 27, 2011
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/sc-dc-court-gps-tracking-20110627,0,2201818.story [with comments]

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Abu Ghraib Inmates Lose U.S. High Court Bid to Sue Contractors
Jun 27, 2011
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to revive a lawsuit that accused two military contractors of abusing inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, turning away an appeal by 26 onetime prisoners.
The inmates sought to sue CACI International Inc. (CACI), which helped interrogate prisoners at the facility, and Titan Corp., which provided translation services. Titan has since been renamed and is now part of L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (LLL)
The inmates, who were civilian detainees, said they were subjected to abuses by CACI and Titan employees including beatings, sexual humiliation, exposure to extreme temperatures and rape. In court papers, the inmates said some prisoners were tortured into unconsciousness and several were murdered.
Abu Ghraib became an international embarrassment for the U.S. in 2004, when photographs surfaced showing guards mistreating inmates.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-27/abu-ghraib-inmates-lose-u-s-high-court-bid-to-sue-contractors.html

Abu Ghraib Torture Victims Denied Their Day in Court
Press Release - Human Rights First
June 27, 2011
In a decision that runs contrary to the United States’ treaty obligations and moral standing, the U.S. Supreme Court, with the support of the U.S. government, told 250 alleged victims of torture inflicted by U.S. private military contractors at Abu Ghraib and other sites that they cannot seek a remedy against the perpetrators in U.S. courts. Today, the Court declined to hear the case of Saleh, et al. v. Titan Corporation, et al. a civil suit brought by Iraqi detainees alleging torture, abuse, and sexual violence by U.S. private contractors CACI and Titan (now L-3 Services) who provided interrogation and translation services at the notorious Iraqi prison.
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http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/2011/06/27/abu-ghraib-torture-victims-denied-their-day-in-court/