A few days into the trial, members of the Chicago Urban Art Society turned-up in front of the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse, with plans for a little PR stunt of their own.
The group had brought cupcakes for trial attendees, each capped with a sketch by artist Ray Noland of Rod Blagojevich in a jogging suit.
The goal of the CUAS's little visit was to promote Noland's new pop art exhibit called "Sweet Tea and American Values," which features a number of Blagojevich themed pieces by Noland.
Peaceful G20 protest at Queen & Spadina from Meghann Millard on Vimeo.
The violence shocked Canada, where civil unrest is almost unknown. Toronto police Sunday said they had never before used tear gas until Saturday's clashes with anti-Globalization activists.
Security was being provided by an estimated 19,000 law enforcement officers drawn from across Canada. Security costs for the G-20 in Toronto and the Group of Eight summit that ended Saturday in Huntsville, 140 miles (225 kilometers) away, were estimated at more than US$900 million.
It is the cult of self that is killing the United States. This cult has within it the classic traits of psychopaths: superficial charm, grandiosity and self-importance; a need for constant stimulation; a penchant for lying, deception and manipulation; and the incapacity for remorse or guilt.And:
America’s most dangerous enemies are not Islamic radicals but those who sold us the perverted ideology of free-market capitalism and globalization. They have dynamited the very foundations of our society. In the 17th century these speculators would have been hung. Today they run the government and consume billions in taxpayer subsidies.
Do you keep falling asleep in meetings and seminars? What about those long and boring conference calls? Here's a way to change all of that.
1. Before (or during) the next meeting, seminar, or conference call, prepare yourself by drawing a square. I find that 5" x 5" is a good size. Divide the card into columns-five across and five down. That will give you 25 one-inch blocks.
2. Write one of the following words/phrases in each block:
Synergy, strategic fit, core competencies, best practice, bottom line, revisit, expeditious, to tell you the truth (or "the truth is), 24/7, out of the loop, benchmark, value-added, proactive, win-win, think outside the box, fast track, result-driven, knowledge base, at the end of the day, touch base, mindset, client focus(ed), paradigm, game plan, leverage.
3. Now check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those words/phrases.
4. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally stand up and shout "BULLSHIT!"
And whether the case is argued in front of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit or the Supreme Court, one thing is also certain: What the next round of judges hears will be very similar to what Judge Walker did.
“We actually believe that the arguments have been as refined as they possibly can be,” said Mr. Pugno, part of a defense that offered only two witnesses. “So you will hear largely the same arguments on appeal as you will in this court. It will just be a different forum.”
Ditto for the plaintiffs.
“I rest with, frankly, confidence, regardless of how this turns out,” Mr. Griffin said. “I don’t think there’s a single thing we would have done different.”
What also seems certain is that the court case may take a while to settle. Judge Walker has no set timetable for issuing a decision. While that waiting game plays out, however, there is also the possibility of another ballot measure to overturn Proposition 8, which passed in 2008 with 52 percent of the vote. That could come as soon as 2012.
Over the past six months, I have interviewed Scott Roeder more than a dozen times, met several times with his supporters at the Sedgwick County Courthouse in Wichita where he was tried and convicted, and permissibly recorded numerous three-way telephone conversations Roeder had me place to his friends. Using information gleaned from these sources, along with public records, it is possible to piece together the close, long-term and ongoing relationship between Roeder and other anti-abortion extremists who advocate murder and violent attacks on abortion providers.
Men can gain gravitas with their age. Women risk ridicule for trying too hard or not hard enough. It is a telling reflection of our cultural preoccupations and priorities that Sarah Palin’s campaign paid more for her makeup artist than her foreign policy adviser.
