Bob Rae, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations, does not shy away from tough questions. Though many in a position such as his might shy away from argument, Rae seems to relish the opportunity to engage in some intellectual sparring. It was in this context that I requested an interview as Canada grapples with multiple [...]
Search Results for: self-defense
South Carolina governor signs bill legalizing permitless concealed carry of firearms
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed a bill Thursday permitting concealed and open carry for firearms throughout the state. The so-called “constitutional carry” bill allows individuals who are 18 and above and legally able to own a firearm to carry that firearm either openly or concealed. The bill does not require any registration or training [...]
US federal judge suspends enforcement of Texas law criminalizing illegal entry from abroad
A Texas federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday suspending enforcement of a Texas state law that criminalized illegal entry to the US from abroad. The law, SB4, criminalized a number of immigration offenses under state law and empowered state law enforcement to make arrests and hold people in detention. SB4 will now be [...]
Lessons from Oppenheimer: The Imperative of Nuclear Conflict Avoidance
“Where there were great military actions, there lies whitening now the jawbone of an ass.” Saint-John Perse (French poet, 1887-1975) As film, the core importance of “Oppenheimer” lies in its messages on human survival. The personal, emotional and romantic aspects of the film are captivating, to be sure, but they are less consequential than any [...]
Class Action Asserts Patient Rights Violated: Genzyme Faces Legal Scrutiny Over Fabry Drug Handling
The US has faced numerous issues involving prescription drugs, especially with rising costs and accessibility of life-saving and required medications. One class action lawsuit (Wilkins et. al. v. Genzyme Corporation (n/k/Sanofi) against Genzyme (now owned by and known as Sanofi, the eighth largest pharmaceutical company in the world) alleges the company intentionally misled patients with [...]
US appeals court agrees to re-hear Hawaii butterfly knife ban case
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit agreed to re-hear the court’s 2023 three-judge panel decision Thursday which struck down a ban on butterfly knives in Hawaii. Chief Judge Mary Murguia vacated the panel’s previous decision setting up another test for the scope of the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in New York State [...]
South Africa accuses Israel of apartheid against Palestinians in ongoing case before ICJ
South Africa accused Israel of implementing apartheid against Palestinians during a hearing before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday, alleging that Israel subjects Palestinians to “discriminatory land zoning and planning policies, punitive and administrative house demolitions and violent army incursions into their villages towns, cities and refugee camps.” Making submissions before the ICJ, [...]
Palestine calls for end to Israeli occupation as ICJ begins hearings on UN advisory opinion request
Representatives for Palestine called for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order a halt to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory and declare that states have obligations to refrain from supporting the occupation as hearings commenced Monday in a case brought by the UN General Assembly. The General Assembly requested an advisory opinion from the [...]
In what proved to be a constitutionally fraught week, the Governor of the State of Texas, Greg Abbott, stated on January 26 he will oppose any measure to infringe on Texas’s placing of razor wire on the US-Mexico border, a move that has bolstered Texas nationalists and increased calls that Texas should secede from the [...]
Civilization and Human 'Oneness' — Templates for a Viable System of International Law
“God loves from Whole to Part, but human soul Must rise from Individual to the Whole.” Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man Though poorly understood, humankind can survive on this planet only by embracing viable systems of international law. More than anything else, these world-centered legal systems must be founded upon axiomatic principles of human [...]