Category Archives: Terrorism

David Davis for Freedom

June 19, 2008 – 5:38 am

The GOP has always had something of a libertarian wing - albeit one bludgeoned into submission at George W Bush’s hands. The UK’s Conservatives, by contrast, were for many years able to do without. Margaret Thatcher put paid to that, although she had a huge fight with elements of her own party before she could [...]

By skepticlawyer | Also posted in England, Personal liberty, Politics | Comments (16)

‘I am Woman, hear me detonate’

June 15, 2008 – 6:34 am

That’s not my line, it’s Tim Blair’s. Apparently female members of Al Qaeda have been barred from blowing themselves up, and they ain’t happy. I have to admit I rolled laughing when I first saw it (the ‘oh shit, I have now seen everything’ school of laughter). Now I’m just pissed off. What sort of [...]

By skepticlawyer | Also posted in Feminism | Comments (30)

Of good character

June 3, 2008 – 10:19 pm

The requirement of being “of good character” is one with which lawyers are familiar. After all, we have to show that we are fit and proper persons before we can be admitted to practice (as outlined in this post about plagiarist law students). Generally, when I think about someone being “of good character”, I think [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Free Speech, Human/Civil rights, Immigration, Law, Personal liberty, Politics | Comments (8)

Fitna

April 4, 2008 – 4:51 pm

The other day, I watched the film Fitna on YouTube, a film about Islam by Dutch right wing politician Geert Wilders.  I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I had read some interesting reviews by Skepticlawyer at Catallaxy, Pommygranate at Australian Libertarian Society Blog and Saint at Dogfight At Bankstown.
I must say [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Politics, Racism, Society | Comments (8)

“You have to die, so that I can live.”

February 20, 2008 – 6:33 pm

Last night, I watched a rather depressing documentary on SBS called The Anatomy of Evil. It was about people who perpetrate genocide. I’ve been morbidly fascinated with this question for a while now, as I’ve explained in an earlier post. I’ve never quite been able to fathom how people could shoot/gas/blow up an innocent civilian.
This [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Middle east, Politics, Religion | Comments (19)

Limits on executive power

August 23, 2007 – 12:07 am

I venture into questions of migration law and executive power somewhat tentatively. They are far from my “comfort zone”. But I couldn’t help having a curious look at the case of Haneef v Minister for Immigration [2007] FCA 1273.
The primary question in this decision is the interpretation of s 501(6)(b) of the Migration Act 1958 [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Immigration, Law, Politics | Comments (3)

The thought police are listening

July 15, 2007 – 7:48 pm

It seems pretty ridiculous that Dr Haneef has been charged with supporting a terrorist organisation by leaving his SIM card with his second cousins in Glasgow. I was wondering how they could charge him, and decided to look at the terrorism offences. I’m not a criminal lawyer, let alone one acquainted with the Federal jurisdiction. [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Law, Religion | Comments (26)

How can they do it?

July 4, 2007 – 7:59 pm

Jane from Diversion Cubed was wondering how on earth people who had sworn the Hippocratic oath to heal other human beings could allegedly become involved with suicide bombing plots. I can’t fathom it myself. How can you work all day trying to heal people and help people, and then wish to wreak death and injury [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in England, Politics | Comments (6)

Illiberalism

June 29, 2007 – 1:03 pm

I was very surprised to read that US Judge Richard Posner advocates secret trials for terrorists. Obviously, attendees at the Australian Bar Association were surprised too. I don’t agree with Posner’s view: it is vital that trials take place in public, with due process. I had always thought Posner was a libertarian at heart. He [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Economics, Law | Comments (5)

Moral consistency, torture and the Left

June 7, 2007 – 12:13 am

I read a very interesting book on the weekend, called “What’s Left?” by Nick Cohen. And then on Monday night I saw a documentary on Four Corners about torture, including the use of torture at Guantanamo Bay. This post is going to be a pastiche of my impressions of experiencing both of these things in [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Politics | Comments (37)