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Thursday :: June 26, 2014

Colorado: Undercover Cops Fail to Get Pot Shops to Sell to Minors

Those who feared Colorado marijuana stores would sell to minors should take a deep breath and relax. The Denver Post reports:

Authorities in Denver and Pueblo, working with regulators from the state Marijuana Enforcement Division, have conducted 20 undercover stings in which they see whether a store will sell pot to someone under 21. Sixteen of the compliance checks have occurred in Denver, home to most of the state's recreational marijuana stores.

So far, no store has sold to someone under 21 in the checks.

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Mass. Court Orders Defendant to Unencrypt His Computer

The Supreme Court of Massachusetts has ordered a defendant to decrypt his computer after he told police during a post-arrest interview, he had the ability to do so.

Because Gelfgatt already admitted to police that he owned and controlled the seized computers and had the ability to decrypt them, the court found that the act of decryption would not reveal anything new to the police. Therefore, the act of compelled decryption was not “testimonial.” Normally, the Fifth Amendment privilege prevents the government from forcing a witness to disclose incriminating information in his mind (like a password not written down anywhere else)—but only if that is information the police do not already know.

The defendant is a lawyer charged with mortgage fraud. He should have known better. Miranda rights are there for a reason -- use them or lose them.

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World Cup Day 15

USA! USA! Today's the big day. A win or a draw over Germany puts USA through. Even with a loss a Portugal win over Ghana probably puts USA through. A Ghana win and USA loss gets very very dicey. apparently torrential rains in Recife. Will the tams play to win? Honestly, I hope not. In any event, the picks:

Group G - Brasília - Portugal vs. Ghana, Under 3½, Ghana Pick (+165).

Group G - Recife, USA vs. Germany, Under 3

Group H - Curitiba, Algeria vs. Russia, Under 2½, Russia +110.

Group H - São Paulo, South Korea vs. Belgium, Under 2½ (+110), Belgium -1 (+125

Go USA!

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Wednesday :: June 25, 2014

10th Circuit Rules States Cannot Ban Same Sex Marriage

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower court's ruling that Utah's ban on same sex marriage is unconstitutional.

The opinion is here.

We hold that the Fourteenth Amendment protects the fundamental right to marry, establish a family, raise children, and enjoy the full protection of a state’s marital laws. A state may not deny the issuance of a marriage license to two persons, or refuse to recognize their marriage, based solely upon the sex of the persons in the marriage union.

This appears to be the first federal appeals court ruling on the constitutional issue since the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. [More...]

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Wednesday Open Thread

Our last open thread is full. Here's another one, all topics welcome.

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Supreme Court Rules Against Aereo TV

The Supreme Court has ruled for broadcasters and against Aereo TV in the battle over Aereo's tiny antennas which allow people to watch live TV broadcasts over the Internet. The opinion is here. (Background is here.)

The Court today ruled (with Justices Alito, Scalia and Thomas dissenting) that Aereo's service is one that transmits performances of copyrighted works to the public. It rejected Aereo's arguments that it merely supplies equipment that allows others to do so. [More...]

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Supreme Court Rules Warrant Needed for Cell Phone Searches

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled in two cases today that police must get a warrant to search a cell phone after arrest.

Roberts noted in his opinion that cellphones "are now such a pervasive and insistent part of daily life that the proverbial visitor from Mars might conclude they were an important feature of human anatomy."

The cases are Riley v. California and U.S. v. Wurie. The opinion is here. Lyle Denniston at ScotusBlog has this analysis of the opinion.

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World Cup Day 14

My picks:

Group F - Salvador, Bosnia-Herzegovina +105 over Iran. Iran has a chance of going through, needs to win and have Nigeria lose, then it goes to goal differential.

Group F - Porto Alegre, Nigeria +1 (+165) over Argentina. Argentina is through though Nigeria could top the group with a win.

Group E - Manaus, Honduras vs. Switzerland, Under 2½ (+130), Switzerland is level on points but trails on goal differential to Ecuador. A better result today puts them through. Also could go through on GD if they pound Honduras.

Group E - Rio de Janeiro, Ecuador +1 (+140) over France. France has won the group. Ecuador needs to match Switzerland's result to go through.

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Tuesday :: June 24, 2014

ISIS Holds Parade in Mosul, Encircles Baghdad

ISIS held a victory parade in Mosul today. You can view all the photos here. It was a big turnout, and lasted into the evening. Noticeably absent from the photos: women. I saw one figure that looked like a female in all of them (to the right of the headlights) and given her trench coat and purse and black head scarf, I'm wondering if she wasn't a reporter.

ISIS got whacked by Syrian jets near Al-Qa'im and Rutbah today. They lost some men, including Sheikh Abdul Majeed al Otaibi (@OT_48 on Twitter). They also were able to take two towns south of Baghdad, Iskandariya and Mahmoudiya.

The U.S. has sent its first group of advisors to Iraq. Here's the transcript of the Defense Department briefing.[More...]

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World Cup Day 13

A quick hit with just the picks:

Group D - Belo Horizonte, Costa Rica vs. England, Over 2½ Goals. Gun to my head, I pick England, burt I'm not wagering on that.

Group C - Cuiabá, Japan vs. Colombia, Draw +280

Group C - Fortaleza, Greece vs. Ivory Coast, Over 2. I'm trying to talk myself into Greece, but the price is too short. Only +(285), needs to get above 300.

The game to watch of course is Uruguay-Italy. Group D - Natal. I'm taking the Suarezes Pick.

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Monday :: June 23, 2014

Monday Night Open Thread

I have been so wrapped up in following ISIS this week, I've forgotten to post open threads Here's one, all topics welcome.

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CBS Poll: 75% Say War in Iraq Wasn't Worth the Cost


A new CBS poll finds 75% percent of Americans do not think the Iraq War was worth the cost in lives and money. This is 8% more than in 2011 when the U.S. withdrew from Iraq, and 30% higher than in August 2003.

Republicans, Democrats and independents alike view the Iraq war as not worth the costs.

A whopping 77% oppose sending troops back in now.

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