US Guardsman demoted for revealing classified info online News
US Guardsman demoted for revealing classified info online

[JURIST] Leonard Clark, of the Arizona Army National Guard [official website], has been demoted from Specialist to Private First Class and fined $1,640 for disclosing classified information on his Iraq weblog [blog website]. Soldiers are allowed to maintain such sites but cannot post information related to their location, troop movements, or deaths of soldiers whose families have not yet been notified. The Army has not specified what Clark posted that violated the rules. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.