On Saturday, Democratic presidential hopeful former Colorado Governor Hickenlooper will bring his 21 point gun control platform to survivors of Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. While it is fitting that he should address gun violence there with survivors of one of the most horrific school shootings of children, much of his platform lacks substance or hits points already raised by others. 1. While I applaud Gov. Hickenlooper’s 22- point gun plan effort to prevent gun violence, his upfront idea of comparing a renewable gun license every 5 years akin to a driver’s license is misplaced. A legal license to drive a car is a privilege—not a Constitutional right and therefore no comparison. Comparing a right guaranteed under the Constitution whether it's voting rights or gun rights, a comparison to a privilege to drive is like comparing apples and oranges. They are not the same. 2. I also understand the focus of many gun control advocates on school shootings and mass … [Read more...] about Gun Control Laws are no Easy Fix
LegalSpeaks Blog
New Abortion Laws May Reach a Snag
The states of Mississippi, Ohio, Georgia, Kentucky, Arkansas, Utah, Iowa and the latest one Alabama have been waging an all-out war against a woman’s right to choose. From laws ruling abortion illegal at a baby’s detectable heartbeat, 18 weeks (6 less than Roe v. Wade requires), the conservative movement against abortion has been diligently working towards reaching the Supreme Court to outlaw Roe v. Wade. Roe v. Wade became the law of the U. S. in 1973. Ever since then, multiple states have attempted to reverse Roe. The most recent attempts, some of which will go into effect in 2020, appear to rely on the recent change of the Supreme Court to a 5-member conservative court. But perhaps these states need to go slower before attempting a Hail Mary pass to the Supreme Court. In sports as well as in law, Hail Mary’s never seem to go as planned. The Supreme Court is highly selective in the cases that it takes up to review. The acceptance rate is extremely low and varies from 2-3 %. You … [Read more...] about New Abortion Laws May Reach a Snag
College Admissions Scandal Goes to Court
On Wed. April 3, defendants Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman and other lesser known celebrities and parents will appear in a federal court in Boston to appear before a judge at their preliminary hearing. The two actresses along with more than 30 other individuals are charged with crimes of using money to gain admission to elite colleges for their children in amounts up to over $1 million. In some alleged instances, the defendants paid a bogus charity to fake athletic activities, cheat on college entrance exams and through other nefarious means to gain college acceptance. The old fashion way of study hard, get good grades and/or work hard at athletics wasn't working for them. So they chose the side door entrance. It’s one thing for actors to use celebrity status and money to gain admission into exclusive parties and events via the side door. It’s quite another thing to use celebrity status and money to fake their children’s test scores and school activities to gain admission into … [Read more...] about College Admissions Scandal Goes to Court
WUSA 9 Interviews Debbie Hines on Mueller Report
Alas, the long awaited Special Counsel Robert Mueller report was released to Attorney General William Barr. Although the report reportedly contained over 700 pages, Attorney General Barr wrote a 4 page summary of its contents. To say that wasn't scratching the surface would be a severe understatement. The American people deserve to see its full contents. The report looked into two questions--whether there was a conspiracy or coordination between Trump, the Trump campaign and the Russian government during our 2016 presidential election; And whether there was an obstruction of justice by Donald Trump into the Russian investigation. Until the report is released, we cannot speculate about its contents. We are just as in the dark as before the report was released. WUSA 9 anchor Bruce Johnson interviewed me on my take on the Mueller report. … [Read more...] about WUSA 9 Interviews Debbie Hines on Mueller Report
College Cheating Scam and White Privilege
The largest college cheating admissions scam was announced today by the U.S. attorney's office in Massachusetts with over 50 persons being charged including actress Felicity Huffman, college coaches, SAT administrators, exam proctors and 33 parents. Parents involved paid upwards of over $6.5 million for their children to be admitted to various elite schools including Yale, Georgetown, Wake Forest and others. It was the ultimate example of wealth and privilege being used to secure the futures of the teens involved. The end result is what many minorities and persons of color expected for a long time. The system is rigged in terms of wealth and privilege. Every parent should teach their children to refrain from lying, cheating and stealing. When the parents lie, cheat and steal for their children to gain admission to prestigious U.S. schools with or without the child’s knowledge, it shows what many persons of color have already suspected all along—that some white privileged children … [Read more...] about College Cheating Scam and White Privilege
R. Kelly May Be Flying to Jail Soon
R. Kelly has long avoided prosecution and conviction for his allegedly long known sex crimes against minors and young women. On Oscar weekend, in a made for TV movie moment, his free time may soon be coming to an end. In a surprise move, according to the Chicago Sun Times, today the Cook County state’s attorney charged R. Kelly with 10 counts of aggravated sex abuse. A Cook County Grand Jury indicted Kelly. The charges stem from 4 victims who were under age and involve incidents that occurred between 1998 and 2010. Aggravated criminal sex abuse is a felony which carries a range of 3-7 years if convicted. R. Kelly has avoided conviction in a past trial but the tide may be changing. His time may soon be up. He is the sex pied piper of young underage girls of lewd sex acts and alleged imprisonment, according to many reports and a recent documentary, Surviving R. Kelly. Despite past allegations, women of all ages still flock to his concerts. And his song, I Believe I could Fly is … [Read more...] about R. Kelly May Be Flying to Jail Soon