Check it Out

Don’t have enough to read? The law library has some new, interesting books

by Anne Buike

Richard Posner’s The Little Book of Plagiarism (KF 1485 P67 2007) recently arrived at your law library and Judge Posner has packed a hot topic into the palm of your hand. His tome is an environmentally friendly 4.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches and won’t overtake your carrel, or thwart precious space previously allotted to your iPod jam packed with illegally obtained music in your designer bag. Furthermore Posner gives you something to say in a conversation with new Intellectual Property faculty member Annemarie Bridy, and also tips for your legal research. According to Amazon, people who purchased this book also purchased “Supreme Conflict : the inside story of the struggle for control of the United States Supreme Court” by Jan Greenberg, which is located at KF 8742 G74 2007.

Failure to Protect: America’s Sexual Predator Laws and the Rise of the Preventive State (KF 9325 J36 2006) by Eric Janus. Janus has written a book that may support your right to MySpace and Facebook freely. He discusses the result of elected officials and the media in regards to legislation and report of strangers as predators in relation to sexual violence. He has a different approach to preventing sexual violence, and it doesn’t involve setting up a sting operation with a Yahoo! Profile and having Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC on scene. Lastly, Janus critiques the “preventative state” and how it can affect civil liberties.


A Botanic Garden for the Nation: The United State Botanic Garden is perfect for the law student who is tired of reading, and would enjoy going back to a simpler time in life, reading books with lots of pictures. This government-produced book is rife with amazing full color photos of the grounds and specimens of the Botanic Garden located in our Nation’s Capital, Washington DC. Take a mini mental vaca and gaze upon pages 78 – 97, and imagine you are not sitting in the basement of the Menard Law Building and someone nearby has something stinky for lunch, but you are hiking through a jungle or a rainforest of a far off land. If you enjoy good espresso, don’t miss page 158 and the Bartholdi fountain, which can only create a relaxing feeling of being in Europe next summer after the school year has ended. Anne-Catherine Fallen has worked magic with her photographic eye, and with the Government Printing Office has created a masterpiece that is located at QK 73 U62 U553 2007.

A Little Stress Relief

by Michael Witry

Are you feeling a little blue right now? Got the weight of the world on your shoulders? Finding law school a little too tough? Well, I’ve been there too. If you’re down and out and need a little ray of sunshine in your life, why not remind yourself of all the good things in life by singing a little song? Here’s a ditty I like to sing when I’m down in the dumps.
O Fortuna
velut luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem,
egestatem,
potestatem
dissolvit ut glaciem.
Sors immanis
et inanis,
rota tu volubilis,
nunc per ludum
dorsum nudum
fero tui sceleris.
Sors salutis
et virtutis
michi nunc contraria,
est affectus
et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora
sine mora
corde pulsum tangite;
quod per sortem
sternit fortem,
mecum omnes plangite!
Just don’t sing too loudly when your neighbors are trying to study.

Pieces of My Mind

by Josh Studor

Moscow may be less free after Monday’s vote. Monday, Moscow City Council voted on an amendment to the city noise ordinance that would get rid of the need for a complaint before police can cite people for violations. The vote paves the way for a new form of pre-textual stop; a kind that targets an individual’s home.
Prior to this vote, officers had to receive a complaint and give the violator a warning. If a neighbor called in a second complaint within 48 hours, the officer could cite the noisy person. Police could not just show up and issue a citation.
Cops now can (assuming the ordinance passed).
Aside from the fact that noisy people might not be bothering anyone around them and the fact that nice neighbors just go ask the loud neighbor to tone it down; my problem is that officers can now have another way to use probable cause to look in our homes.
Picture this: 20 people are hanging out in an apartment drinking libations. Two of those 20 are underage. A cop drives by the apartment and hears some loud laughter and decides that his peace is disturbed. The cop goes up to the apartment door (complete with probable cause) and knocks.

Officer: “Hi there, do you know why I knocked on your door?”
Tenant: “No sir, did someone complain about some noise?”
Officer: “No, I just heard you all from the street. Is that alcohol?”
Tenant: “Yes.”
Officer: “Is there anyone here underage?”

Now comes a decision. Does tenant admit to there being underagers in the home and face a contributing charge OR does she lie and face a charge of providing false info or even obstructing? See the dilemma?
Lately, Moscow has been on a civil liberty violation rampage. Earlier this semester, they passed an ordinance making it illegal for more than four unrelated individuals to live together. Previously it was six. This sounds unconstitutional but no, the Supreme Court has ruled that ordinances like these are a valid use of police powers. So, those of you who are thinking of having your significant other move in with you and your three friends, think again. Or those poor college students who need to split a four-bedroom house five ways: forget it.
City Council elections are coming next month. I suggest you keep these new ordinances in mind when you mark your box. For the record, supporters of the noise bill include: John Weber, Bill Lambert and Mayor Nancy Chaney. At press time there was no word on how Aaron Ament or Linda Pall planned to vote.

A Minnesota judge has refused to allow Sen. Larry Craig (ID-R) to withdraw his guilty plea. Thank god! Why he thought he would be able to anyway is beyond me. The only reason he tried to withdraw is that the plea was made public. He was guilty as charged and needs to face the music.
Now, to all of you who are iffy about what he did being a crime, let me present the following: First, if he was soliciting sex with the man in the stall, he was not trying to get the guy to leave the airport, go to a hotel, mess around and go home. No, he was planning on sex right then and there. If that is unbelievable, look at Craigslist.com. It happens.
Plus, Craig knew what he was doing when he pled guilty. He had two months to consider his plea or consult with an attorney. He did a written plea out of the presence of a judge or a prosecutor. There was no undue pressure from the court or the state. If he didn’t think what he had done was a crime he wouldn’t have pleaded guilty. He’s a senator for Christ’s sake.
So, Mr. Craig, even though you refuse to, you should now resign in shame for being a hypocrite, a person who was conducting himself in a disorderly way, and, worse of all, for being a closeted homo in Idaho. Now it’s time to move to Miami, get a pool boy, and disappear into obscurity.

SODA Drag Show Photos

Friday, Sept. 5, SODA (Sexual Orientation Diversity Alliance) held its annual drag show. Students and a faculty member performed in drag to raise money for SODA. The following are the first set of snap shots from that show.

Larry Craig Redefines "Gay

by Josh Studor

As has been widely reported, three-term U.S. Senator and UI alumnus Larry Craig resigned last week after his conviction for disorderly conduct became public. In pleading guilty, Craig admitted that there was a factual basis to the allegations that he had attempted to solicit lewd conduct from an under-cover male police officer in a public Minneapolis airport bathroom.

Though he had previously admitted to the conduct, Craig now claims that his actions were nothing more than an awkwardly wide stance while using the crapper and a paper mirage.

But, much to the elation of political humorists – and people with the sense of humor of a fifth grader – the story doesn’t end there.

Following the initial report in Roll Call, Craig held a press conference to discuss the allegations. At that conference he thanked everyone for “coming out” and told reporters, “Let me be clear. I am not gay and never have been gay.”

This statement set off shockwaves throughout the whole gay community. Prior to Craig’s definitional clarification, gay people assumed that being gay meant being attracted to members of the same sex rather than members of the opposite sex. Now, everything is nutty.

Apparently, that means that men can solicit other men for sex in a bathroom, hook up with other dudes shopping at a Boise R.E.I., and have oral sex with another man in D.C.’s Union Station and not actually be gay. The logical extension of his definition is that men can generally have sex with other men and not be gay.

Such a realization sparked joy from at least one University of Idaho Law Student. “Ha! I knew it,” shouted Josh McCarthy. “I am gayer than Josh Studor.”

Following Craig’s press conference, at least one gay man called his mothers to say, “Hey mom. Did you see? I’m not gay. Yes, I still exclusively have sex with men and yes, you will still be able to complain about me not providing you with any grand children. But I’m not gay!”

During the press conference, the senator added to his definition of “gay” saying, “I love my wife, my family, I care about friends and staff and Idaho, I love serving this great state. There are still goals I would like to accomplish and I believe I can still be an effective leader for this state.”

Clearly, if you love your wife and family, care about your friends and staff and Idaho you can’t be gay. If you have goals you would like to accomplish or if you can still be an effective leader, you are not gay.

Though not reported, Craig went on to say, “of course I am not gay. I was in a fraternity.”

It has been widely reported that Idaho Gov. Butch Otter will appoint Lt. Gov. Jim Risch as Craig’s replacement, however, there is no word about whether Risch plans to solicit men for public sex. Also, there has been no word about just how butch Otter is.

Cop takes back airport restroom

by Eric Haley

Another week, another political scandal. This one needs no introduction and I will save the obvious comedic route for the big boys like Robin Williams and Carrot Top. And besides, its hard to conjur cynicism at such a time of National celebration, LET FREEDOM RING AMERICA!
Through brave undercover operations involving strategic toilet stall monitoring and one cop who risked his life to portray the shins and feet of the criminal element, the police have taken back our (as in, We the people) Air port public restrooms, let’s dance!
Do you remember the days when the Air port public restrooms were a haven for strangers of the same sex to unwind and let their kids play after a long flight? Boy, I sure can. I remember being giddy with excitement when the Captain announced our decent into “Who gives a damnville” ( I couldn’t be bothered with questions of destination, I had visions of urinal cakes dancing in my head).
“Father, tell me, tell me, is the men’s room at this air port swell?”
“Son, when I was a boy, this was the best Air port restroom ever. Urinals short and tall, lined the walls in the Grown up’s “new arrival meet and greet” area, and there were stalls as far as the eye can see for boys to crawl under and be rascals.”
“Oh boy! I sure hope this one has hot air hand dryers and not the boring old paper towels.” I said with anticipation that rivaled a run to the tree on Christmas morning.
“We will just have to see when we get there.” He said with a knowing wink (Years later my father confessed he knew there would be hot air hand dryers but he didn’t want to ruin the surprise)
“Hooray! This shitter sounds fantastic!”
“I know son, I know.”
But what was once an oasis of wholesome family oriented fellowship had degenerated into a den of sins of the flesh. The meet and greets turned into meat markets and you could forget trusting the stall users to ignore the children playing under their feet. Yes, the children’s laughter and jovial exchanges were replaced with unspeakable propositions to engage in sexual activity in quiet possibly the most bacteria-laden environment on the planet. Soon, the Air port public restroom became what it is today, an icy prison used only to excrete bodily waste and move on.
But as American’s were we to stand by and let the criminal element takeover one of the relics that makes America great? If criminals looking for a discrete romp with strangers could invade the stalls where our children crawled and played, then why the hell do we have a police force? Thankfully, one police force in Minneapolis had enough and decided to take the fight to these harmless but unquestionably gross criminals. If these criminals were going to hide in the stalls and use code to discretely communicate their wish to do evil then, well by God, an under cover agent of lady justice would be waiting in the stall next to them. The seedy element of society has been put on notice, if you want discrete anonymous sex, the Air port public restroom better not be on your places to visit.
I don’t have a kid, or really want one but if I had one, and it was a boy (or a girl if it becomes socially acceptable for me to take her to the women’s room) I would proudly fly him to Minneapolis and when the plane lands I would look down into his eyes and choking back tears I would tell him,
“C’mon son, there’s a little piece of the Apple Pie, once taken by evil but now back in the hands of the citizens thanks to the undercover police, you go play in the stalls in the restroom when we land, Daddy’s gotta drop a deuce.”