November 2011

Federal appeals court okays profanity in citizen’s petition to city

A city cannot reject a petition from a citizen just because the citizen peppers his appeal with profanities and insults ruled the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Colorado. The court rejected the contention that the petition lost its constitutional protection because it contained “fighting words.” -db From the First Amendment Center, November 18, 2011, by Douglas E. Lee. Full story

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Free speech: Kansas governor admits screwup in complaining to school about student’s tweet

A Kansas high school student refused to accede to a demand from her prinicpal to apologize to Governor Sam Brownback for a derogatory tweet made during his speech. The Governor had ratted her out to the principal. After the Governor apologized for telling on her, the student raised the ante by saying the apology was inadequate. -db From a commentary in the Newser, November 29, 2011, by Mary Papenfuss. Full story  

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Call it the Not-so-public Utilities Commission

If you’re worried about natural gas pipelines running near your home or business, prepare for a long battle to get key information from California’s Public Utilities Commission. Under a 60-year-old law, vast numbers of documents — including regulatory reports and safety studies — are secret, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. What’s more, PG&E often has the last word on what the public will be able to see. A Chronicle survey shows that most states routinely

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A&A: School board keeping exorbitant attorney fees in closed session

Q: As a school board member I have tried, but failed, to have the copious exorbitant legal billings by the district’s attorney released to the public.  So far the attorney’s fees of $50k to $70k per month (the amount of almost $1million is rapidly approaching) have been discussed in closed session and the rest of the board members what to keep it that way . I consider the attorney just like any other a vendor and

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Opinion: China’s censorship regimen spreading around the world

Totalitarian regimes around the world are successfully using the Chinese model of censorship against their citizens, reports David Rohde in a commentary for Reuters. Rohde says the Stop Online Piracy Act would seriously erode the ability of the United States to fight the new tide of international Internet censorship. -db From a commentary for Reuters, November 18, 2011, by David Rohde. Full story  

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