Richard Tice, the Reform leader, claimed the by-election was not “free and fair” and also questioned a sharp rise in the number of postal votes cast, saying they were “unquestionably open to significant abuse”.

Rochdale campaign 'one of the most divisive in recent times', says Rishi Sunak

Reform&#x27;s disappointing performance in the Rochdale by-election shows that the party&#x27;s leader Richard Tice isn&#x27;t up to the job

Reform should ditch Richard Tice before it's too late | The Spectator

East Riding of Yorkshire councillor Maria Bowtell claims the party no longer reflects her values.

Councillor Maria Bowtell defects from Conservatives to Reform UK - BBC News

YouGov survey, published on Friday, shows Right-wing party, led by Richard Tice, is now at 14 percentage points

Reform UK hits highest-ever polling level after Lee Anderson row

Reform UK is “not clicking” and need a shift in strategy for electoral success, according to top pollster Matt Goodwin.The Rochdale by-election saw the party’s candidate, Simon Danczuk, secure a little more than six per cent of the vote, coming sixth behind the former Labour candidate ...

Rochdale by-election shows Reform UK 'is not clicking', says Matt Goodwin

Speaking to reporters at the count, Galloway was asked about the criticisms of Richard Tice, Reform party leader, who said that his candidate Simon Danczuk suffered intimidation throughout the campaign. Yet, in a shock twist, Galloway responded by claiming Tice had previously asked him to a ...

Richard Tice and George Galloway in war of words | The Spectator

According to some 2019 Tory voters, voting for Richard Tice&#x27;s party is worth the risk of a Labour government if it sends a message to Rishi Sunak.

The Voters Panel: 'We will vote Reform - even if it puts Sir Keir Starmer in Number 10' | Politics News | Sky News

The outspoken and controversial Farage is currently honorary president of upstart rival party Reform, having been a leading figure in the campaign for Britain to leave the European Union. A surge in support for his former UK Independence Party (UKIP) in the early 2010s was widely credited as ...

Is Brexit king Nigel Farage the answer to Tory woes? – POLITICO

The leader of Rishi Sunak&#x27;s constituency council in North Yorkshire is one of 103 local authority leaders who have written to the housing secretary urging him to back an amendment to the Renters Reform Bill that would extend eviction notice periods from two months to four.

Michael Gove under pressure to increase eviction notice periods after 100 council leaders back calls for reform | Politics News | Sky News

Support for Richard Tice’s party has hit a record high – and could badly harm the Tories’ chances

Six graphs showing how Reform UK could be kingmakers at the election

Reform

reform

Over the past couple of years, various laws, such as the , have been enacted to protect children from the dangers of the online world. The underlying principle of such laws is to ensure that tech giants have a legal duty to protect children from sexual abuse and other harmful material that could be accessed on digital platforms. Common examples of such platforms include various messaging services, social media, and gaming apps. All mainstream platforms have some pretty strict measures in place to protect minors. However, there are cases where those with shady intentions tend to find some loopholes. Online Safety Act 2023 The avatar of an under-16 girl being raped as she was playing a game in the Metaverse is a relevant example here. Yes, you read that right. No one had thought that crime and perversion would go to such an extent, but unfortunately, it has. Understanding The Metaverse And Its Immersive Nature We’ll get into all the details of the crime soon. But first, let's get our heads around what the Metaverse is and how immersive it can be. Think of it as a completely different world where people live, work, shop, interact, and do a whole lot of other things. The only difference between the and the real world is that it is virtual. It exists in a 3D environment, and to access it, one needs a computer or Virtual Reality (VR) headset covering their eyes and ears. It’s worth pointing out that most people opt for VR headsets as they offer a truly immersive experience. Metaverse The immersive nature of the metaverse allows us to experience a variety of new experiences, making sure we live life to the fullest. However, with all the advantages come certain downsides. Such an immersive experience allows individuals to enjoy all the positives to a complete extent. But this also means that any unfortunate events one may experience while in the Metaverse can have detrimental effects on their mental health in the real world. This is exactly what happened with a teenage girl in the metaverse. 16-Year-Old Teenager: Virtual Rape In A Virtual World Tech companies often define their platform with mesmerizing language used to position what they have to offer as For example, when was launched, it was initially described as a new way of social interaction where one could have a variety of shared experiences. “the best thing.” Meta But it’s worth pointing out that these always have a certain possibility of a dark event lurking right around the corner. If you put those with malicious intentions in a world where the consequences aren’t real, things will get out of hand, as with this teenage girl. For her, one of the many she had in the Metaverse was rape. “shared experiences” claim the incident is the first of its kind to be investigated by the UK police. Before we get into the details of the investigation, know that the teenage victim was not physically harmed. She was in an online room with other users when several adult men virtually assaulted her avatar. Recent reports Although she was not physically harmed, the immersive experience provided by the Metaverse resulted in psychological damage and emotional trauma. These damages and the trauma she experienced are now serving as the basis for a police investigation. It’s worth noting that such a crime is not the first of its kind in gaming. UK Police Investigate Virtual Rape As this case is being investigated, police leaders are now calling for legislation that could help tackle sexual offenses in a virtual or digital world. In addition, officers have also mentioned that their current tactics must evolve if they are to stop using technology to abuse children. However, there are two sides to the investigation. One is where police are pursuing the virtual sex offense, and the other is where the investigation itself is being criticized. Questions have been raised as to whether the police should even be investigating this or not. “criminal offense” More details about the case have been kept under wraps for now to protect the child involved. Some individuals fear that a prosecution may not be possible for such a crime given that the statutory definition of rape dictates physical penetration, which in this particular case is absent. Insufficiency Of The Current Legal Infrastructure As per recent media reports, a senior official commenting on whether the virtual sex crime can or should be prosecuted has stated: “This child experienced psychological trauma similar to that of someone who has been physically raped. There is an emotional and psychological impact on the victim that is longer term than any physical injuries. It poses a number of challenges for law enforcement, given that current legislation is not set up for this.” Such a statement goes to show that legal authorities are concerned that the current infrastructure is not sufficient to address such crimes. Shedding light on the insufficiencies of the current legal landscape, Donna Jones, the chairman of the Association of Police and Crime Commissions, has stated: “We need to update our laws because they have not kept pace with the risks of harm that are developing from artificial intelligence and offending on platforms like the metaverse. The government needs to look at changing the law to protect women and children from harm in these virtual environments.” As per legal authorities, the current legislation in the UK is not sufficient to cover rape in the metaverse as an act of sexual assault. Most current legislation defines sexual assault as an act of physically touching another person without their consent. But that's not all. Things get a bit more complicated from here. You see, users in the metaverse and other virtual worlds are spread throughout the world, meaning both the victim and the offender can be from entirely different continents, let alone countries. The very nature of these virtual worlds blurs geographical boundaries, making it challenging to determine which enforcement agencies have authority over such matters. Related Incidents And Different Opinions have also shed light on other acts of sexual offense that were conducted in virtual games like It is another online game run by . In the game, users can create their own avatars that serve as a digital or virtual representation of themselves. Recent media reports Horizon Worlds. Meta To control these avatars, users have to use a headset and other associated equipment, like controllers. A psychotherapist, Nina Jane Patel, with research experience, has categorized being gang raped in Horizon Venues as a For those who’re unaware, Horizon Venues is a downloadable integration into the VR game that allows users to attend virtual events. VR “surreal nightmare.” Such integrations facilitate the redefined social interactions companies are aiming for. However, the reports of sexual offenses taking place in the virtual world justify the need for increased protection measures for those at risk. While some are calling for increased protection measures, others are beginning to question whether such incidents should be categorized as actual rape. Users on a popular social media app have expressed their thoughts on topics such as how the victim could have turned off the VR at any time. They’ve also asked legal authorities to focus on real-world crimes as opposed to virtual ones. Some have even gone to the extent of comparing sexual assault in the virtual world to being killed in virtual games and not having the killer be charged with murder. However, in such games, being killed is a possibility one expects. As for virtual sex crimes, no one really expects to be harassed and sexually assaulted in a virtual world. Can this be Considered Real Rape? The question of whether such should be considered real rape dates back to 1993 when an article titled was published. The article shed light on acts of sexual abuse that were taking place in the virtual community at the time. “ ” crimes “ ” A Rape In Cyberspace In addition, the article went on to conclude that being sexually assaulted in a virtual environment leads to emotional effects similar to those of an actual rape. To keep users safe from such an event, virtual communities like Meta have implemented certain measures. A representative from Meta, commenting on these protection measures, stated that: “The kind of behavior described has no place on our platform, which is why for all users, we have an automatic protection called personal boundary, which keeps people you don't know a few feet away from you.” However, such matters may not be sufficient; individuals with intentions of sexual abuse could essentially gain the trust of their victims so that they may remove protection protocols. Key Takeaways Virtual worlds offer an immersive environment to users, allowing them to experience new possibilities like never before. However, such platforms come with increasing cyber threats, one of which is virtual rape. The current legal infrastructure for such crimes is effective, given how it defines sexual abuse. Changes to the infrastructure, along with more robust protection measures, are now necessary to make virtual communities safe for everyone.

Rape in the Metaverse and the Urgent Need for Legal Reform

This article was originally published on ProPublica by . Co-published with . Jeremy Kohler Riverfront Times After the 2014 fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the months of protests that followed, the city of St. Louis was forced to reckon with its Black residents’ longstanding distrust of its police and courts. Kim Gardner emerged as a voice for change. A lifelong resident of St. Louis, she had diverse professional experiences, having worked as a funeral director, a nurse, a lawyer and a state legislator. When campaigning for circuit attorney, the city’s top prosecutor, she focused on the disproportionate frequency of arrests and police officers using force against St. Louis’ Black community. “We need to change decades of old practices that left many in our community distrustful of the criminal justice system as a whole,” , the city’s Black newspaper, just days before her decisive primary victory in August 2016 that all but sealed her general election win. she told The St. Louis American In the last decade, prosecutors in other major American cities also campaigned on promises of systemic reform: Kim Foxx in Chicago, Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, Chesa Boudin in San Francisco. Yet, much like Gardner, these prosecutors have faced resistance from the police and the unions that represent rank-and-file officers. They’ve been accused of being soft on crime and have even been met with political maneuvers aimed at derailing their initiatives. Several have been targeted by efforts to remove them from office or pare away their powers. Boudin lost a recall vote and was removed in June 2022. And Krasner, criticized for his reduced emphasis on prosecuting minor crimes, was impeached by the state legislature in November, although a state court threw out the result. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has removed elected prosecutors in Tampa and Orlando. He suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren over Warren’s refusal to prosecute offenses related to abortion and gender-related health care. He suspended the state attorney for Orange and Osceola counties, Monique Worrell, because he said she wasn’t tough enough on some serious offenses. Georgia recently became the first state to establish a commission with the authority to discipline and even remove local elected prosecutors. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp framed the law as a way to check “far-left prosecutors.” Gardner, who was reelected in 2020, stepped down in May of 2023 while facing both a lawsuit from the state attorney general that sought her removal and a separate attempt by the Republican-led legislature to curtail her authority. Gardner’s mismanagement of her office played a significant role in her downfall. Reform-minded lawyers who she personally hired had departed. And while judges fumed about prosecutors failing to show up for court, Gardner was moonlighting as a nursing student. Though other prosecutors faced various challenges, there are no widely known instances like that of retired detective Roger Murphey in St. Louis, and hasn’t received any departmental discipline. who has refused to testify in at least nine murder cases “For every progressive prosecutor who’s managed to stick it out, there’s one who’s either been recalled or driven out,” said Lara Bazelon, a University of San Francisco law school professor who volunteered on Boudin’s campaign and serves as chair of the commission he created to review inmates’ claims of innocence. “So it’s a real mix of success and cautionary tales.” She added: “If the police are against you, or literally out to get you, you’re probably not going to be able to last in that job.” Foxx, elected in 2016 and reelected in 2020, announced in April that she will not seek a third term next year, though she said it was not because of resistance from the police. In an interview, Foxx said that even before she took office, the Chicago police union felt threatened by her assertion that Black lives matter and that the criminal justice system could be more fair, particularly to communities of color. It was a signal, she said, “that I was not one of them.” “The reality is we were offering something very different to what was traditionally viewed as the law-and-order approach to prosecution,” Foxx said. “I think it was surprising to folks that prosecutors could be elected addressing these issues.” R. Michael Cassidy, a law professor at Boston College and an expert in prosecutorial ethics, said the Ferguson unrest emphasized the need for change in how police and prosecutors work. He said some prosecutors have failed to manage their relationships with police; prosecutors depend on the officers to bring them cases and to testify in court, but they must conduct oversight of the police as well. Foxx pushed back against any assertion that she didn’t manage her relationship with police. She pointed to a popular Chicago police blog that often refers to her as “Crimesha” — “a play on the word ‘crime’ and what I believe to be a racist insinuation about me being Black with the name ‘-esha.’” The blog has also sexualized her last name by adding a third X and has insinuated that members of her family are connected to gangs. “From the moment we came into office, we reached out to our partners in law enforcement, and what we saw was there was a segment of them who were never going to be satisfied with me in this role because I said ‘Black lives matter,’ because I said ‘We need police accountability,’ because I said that we had a criminal justice system that overly relied on incarceration that targeted Black and brown communities,” she said. She said that she, Gardner and other prosecutors “have been faced with an unprecedented level of hate and vitriol” from the police. “That,” she said, “is the story.” Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara and other union officials did not respond to requests for comment. But Catanzara told the Chicago Sun-Times in 2020 that the were based on her job performance. union’s complaints about Foxx He said she was a “social activist in an elected law enforcement position” who was unwilling to “faithfully do her job.” Boudin was elected in 2019 on a reform platform. Soon after taking office, he eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. He also brought for misconduct and announced a plan to . criminal charges against nine city officers compensate victims of police violence But as property crime rates climbed in San Francisco, Boudin came under increased scrutiny. Cassidy said Boudin and other like-minded prosecutors have been scapegoated for isolated incidents or temporary spikes in crime statistics, as if they alone are responsible. In some cities, that has swung public opinion against them. Boudin said the claims were unfair and largely the product of police resistance to his reforms. “We’ve seen, on body-worn camera footage, police officers telling victims there’s nothing they can do and, ‘Don’t forget to vote in the upcoming recall election,’” Boudin said in an interview. Boudin said he and other local prosecutors have found “there is absolutely zero accountability for these officers who engage in explicitly political acts of sabotage or dereliction of duty.” A spokesperson for the San Francisco police union declined to comment. Some prosecutors have held onto their positions despite challenges to their power. In November, veteran public defender Mary Moriarty was elected county attorney for the jurisdiction that includes Minneapolis in the first election since the death there of George Floyd. The same night, Dallas District Attorney by a nearly 20-point margin in spite of over his plan not to prosecute certain low-level offenses. John Creuzot was reelected calls by a police union for his ouster In August 2022, Sarah George, the incumbent state’s attorney in Vermont’s Chittenden County, which includes Burlington, secured her seat with a 20-point victory in the Democratic primary over Ted Kenney, a challenger backed by the police. George had introduced a variety of reforms, including eliminating cash bail and declining to prosecute cases where evidence was obtained during , like those for broken taillights. The Burlington police union called her actions “disastrous” and Kenney argued that the approach made . noncriminal traffic stops streets less safe George, too, has seen police body camera video of officers blaming her for crime. In one video, which she provided to ProPublica, the Riverfront Times and NPR, an officer from a suburban police department about a crack house in their neighborhood. tells a couple that officers can’t do anything He then implores them to vote for Kenney because of George’s “super-progressive, soft-on-crime approach where we arrest the same people daily and they get out the same day.” George said that, with some crime investigations, the police are “not really doing the work that we need to do on the case, and then blaming us for the case not being filed.” The Burlington police union declined to comment. The chiefs of police in Burlington and Winooski, the suburb where the video was taken, did not respond to messages seeking comment. Gardner, too, often faced criticism from police for her reluctance to prosecute cases based on arrests alone. In one notable instance in 2019, she dropped child-endangerment charges against two day care workers who were captured on video as they appeared to encourage toddlers to box using toy Incredible Hulk fists. The police union called for her ouster, writing on Facebook: “The first rule of toddler fight club is … that you prosecute the sadistic promoters of toddler fight club.” In comments made before her resignation, Gardner noted that she had been careful not to file criminal charges in cases where she did not feel there was enough evidence. “What they want me to do is make it look like this job is easy,” she said. “We can’t make things fit and people don’t like that. That’s not what justice is about.” Richard Rosenfeld, a professor emeritus of criminology at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, was who pooled data from 65 major cities and found “no evidence to support the claim that progressive prosecutors were responsible for the increase in homicide during the pandemic or before it.” one of several researchers Indeed, Chicago’s murder rate fell during Foxx’s first years in office, rose during the first years of the pandemic and has been falling this year, city crime statistics show. Philadelphia’s murder rate was in steep decline this year after a precipitous rise that started in 2020. And most categories of crime were in retreat in St. Louis at the time Gardner resigned, while violent crime was up in San Francisco a year after Boudin’s exit, according to statistics. Acknowledging that the St. Louis police commonly blamed Gardner for crime trends, Rosenfeld, a veteran observer of policing in St. Louis, said, “Case not proved, is what I would argue there.” Correction An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin dismissed charges in a rape case in 2021 and that it was a factor in his recall. Oct. 11, 2023: Photo by on Khashayar Kouchpeydeh Unsplash

Reform-Minded Prosecutors Were Undermined by Police and Politicians

Richard A. Webster, This article was originally published on by ProPublica . Co-published with . Verite News Verite News This article was produced for by Richard A. Webster, who covered Jefferson Parish as part of ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in 2021-22. to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. Verite News Sign up for Dispatches In September, the Louisiana Supreme Court that appeared to be a major blow to criminal justice reformers seeking to shrink the state’s bloated prison population. issued a ruling The 4-3 ruling struck down a law that empowered prosecutors to revisit and reduce excessive sentences through post-conviction plea agreements with defense attorneys. The law, which in 2021 and had the backing of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, was meant to create a formal process to release prisoners serving decadeslong sentences, in many cases for relatively minor crimes, handed down under the state’s habitual offender, or “three strikes,” law. passed the state Legislature unanimously Verite News and ProPublica of Markus Lanieux, who might have been helped by that law. Lanieux was convicted in 2009 of aggravated flight from an officer, a crime that typically carried a two-year sentence. recently featured the story But two previous drug felonies allowed the Jefferson Parish district attorney to try Lanieux as a habitual offender, which resulted in a sentence of life without parole. If Lanieux had been originally convicted under current habitual offender sentencing laws, the most he could have gotten was four years. The Supreme Court’s ruling came as the result of a filed last year by Louisiana’s conservative attorney general, Jeff Landry, who claimed the law encroached on and usurped the exclusive power of the governor to grant clemency or pardons. Landry intervened in the case of William Lee, whose life sentence had been reduced using the now-overturned law. legal challenge His legal challenge was seen as part of a growing backlash across the country against prosecutors who have pushed to end mass incarceration, and it caused many district attorneys in Louisiana to temporarily drop negotiations to reduce excessive sentences while the case was pending. Immediately after the court announced its decision, Landry, who is running for governor on a tough-on-crime platform, hailed it as a victory for public safety. “This unconstitutional legislation resulted in some rapists and murderers receiving ‘get out of jail free’ cards,” Landry said. “That recklessness ends now.” In a dissenting opinion, state Supreme Court Chief Justice John Weimer criticized Landry’s challenge and warned that the majority’s decision could “have the disastrous effect of undermining, and further limiting, the post-conviction relief procedure that has operated to correct the evils of the past.” “The post-conviction legislation at issue here was unanimously enacted by the legislature, the people’s representatives, and signed into law by the governor,” Weimer wrote. “Its obvious purpose is to insure justice is done and to act as a counter balance or check on the renegade practices and prejudices of the past.” News of the ruling quickly spread throughout the state’s prisons, said attorney Nick Trenticosta, who argued on behalf of the law before the Supreme Court and visited several inmates at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel the following week. “It’s on every prisoner’s mind,” he said. “My clients are now in distress.” “It’s Not Fine, but It Will Be OK” Trenticosta, however, was in the prison to tell them not to worry, that far from dealing a death blow to post-conviction resentencing efforts, the attorney general might have inadvertently given them new life. In their decision, the justices said the new law was unconstitutional because it didn’t require prosecutors or judges to identify a specific legal problem with a prisoner’s sentence before granting relief. The ability to adjust a sentence without a specific legal basis, they said, amounted to an “act of grace,” like a pardon, which is considered the domain of the governor. If the decision had stopped there, it could have been extremely damaging, Trenticosta said. But the justices went on to uphold the “absolute discretion” of prosecutors to provide such post-conviction relief, emphasizing it was the duty of prosecutors to “see that no innocent man suffers.” According to Trenticosta, the decision affirmed, for the first time explicitly, the right of prosecutors and defense attorneys to cooperatively reach post-conviction deals. Three other defense attorneys with extensive experience in post-conviction deals generally agreed with Trenticosta’s analysis of the ruling’s language, though one of them was concerned about its real-world consequences. Before the passage of the 2021 reform law, it was common practice for defense attorneys and prosecutors to meet informally to discuss the reduction of someone’s sentence. If both sides came to an agreement, they would take the plea deal to a judge to authorize, which avoided costly and timely litigation. There wasn’t, however, a court- or Legislature-approved structure to this process, which caused concern among some judges, Colin Reingold with a New Orleans-based criminal justice reform group called the Promise of Justice Initiative and three other defense attorneys told Verite News. While one court where these deals happened frequently might have been comfortable authorizing them, others in places where such deals were rare might have balked. This resulted in an unequal administration of justice across the state, said the defense attorneys. In its ruling, the court spelled out the on which district attorneys could reduce someone’s sentence through post-conviction plea agreements. Some of those are fairly narrow, including whether the sentence amounted to double jeopardy or the requirement that DNA testing provides “clear and convincing evidence” of innocence. eight grounds Others are more general and create a wider lane through which an attorney could argue for someone’s freedom, such as proof that “the conviction was obtained in violation of the constitution of the United States or the state of Louisiana.” Importantly, the justices added, when defense attorneys assert one of those grounds in seeking a sentence reduction, prosecutors have no obligation to demand evidence. “If a defendant seeks post-conviction relief pursuant to one of these grounds, a district attorney is not required by this decision to oppose the application.” Jee Park, executive director of the Innocence Project New Orleans, said she worries that the ruling could create obstacles to negotiating lesser terms, possibly driving judges to demand more evidence than previously required to prove a reduction in sentence is legally necessary. But she agreed that it wasn’t the end of post-conviction relief. “It’s not fine, but it will be OK,” Park said. “There are definitely still claims available to attack unjust and excessive sentences.” For people like Lanieux, this comes as welcome news. Lanieux’s attorney, Amy Myers, was in negotiations with the Jefferson Parish district attorney to reduce his sentence under the now-overturned law when Landry filed his challenge. The district attorney, like many prosecutors across the state, temporarily halted those negotiations pending a decision. Myers said the ruling reaffirmed arguments she had previously been making: that Lanieux’s sentence is unconstitutional because he had an ineffective lawyer, and that his sentence is cruel and unusual. Both are included in the eight grounds listed by the court. “Markus has always had good legal issues,” Myers said. “If we have a district attorney who is willing to consider the merits of those legal issues, we can resolve Markus’ case.” In an emailed statement, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted Lanieux, said it was “not inclined to further comment as to Mr. Lanieux’s case at this time.” During his 14 years of incarceration, the Iberville Parish native lost his mother in 2020 to COVID-19 and his sister last year to unknown causes. And on Sept. 7, the day before the news organizations published a story on his life sentence, Lanieux’s son was at the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center in Cottonport. found dead in his cell Evidence relating to his death was to a funeral home, Verite News reported. inadvertently given Lee, the prisoner whose case was the subject of Landry’s challenge, also maintains hope following the court’s decision, said his attorney, Trenticosta. When the Supreme Court ruled in the attorney general’s favor, St. Tammany Parish prosecutors reinstated Lee’s life sentence. Warren Montgomery, the district attorney for St. Tammany and Washington parishes, was not available to comment because of medical reasons, according to his office. Despite the setback, Trenticosta expects to restart negotiations with the district attorney under the parameters established by the court. He said Lee’s case could fit under a number of them, including ineffective counsel, the unconstitutional withholding of evidence or a claim of innocence based on new evidence. “Warren Montgomery believed that the new evidence shook the integrity of the conviction, and I don’t think anything has changed,” he said. “I fully predict that Mr. Lee will come home in the near future.” Photo by on Josh Hemsley Unsplash

Louisiana Supreme Court Overturns "Three-Strikes" Sentences Reform Law

FTC v. Amazon Court Filing, retrieved on Sep 26, 2023, is part of . You can jump to any part in this filing . This is part 66 of 80. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here COUNT X: VIOLATIONS OF MICHIGAN STATE LAW 490. Plaintiff State of Michigan repeats and re-alleges and incorporates by reference each and every paragraph and allegation of the Complaint as if fully set forth herein. 491. The acts alleged in the Complaint violate the Michigan Antitrust Reform Act, Mich. Comp. Laws § 445.771, et seq. 492. The acts alleged in the Complaint constitute the establishment, maintenance, or use of a monopoly, or an attempt to establish a monopoly, of trade or commerce in a relevant market by Amazon, for the purpose of excluding or limiting competition or controlling, fixing, or maintaining prices, pursuant to Mich. Comp. Laws § 445.773. 493. Michigan seeks equitable and injunctive relief as authorized by Mich. Comp. Laws § 445.777, including, without limitation, the following: (a) Injunctive or other equitable relief; (b) Costs and fees incurred by Michigan in this suit; and (c) Other remedies as the Court finds necessary to redress and prevent recurrence of each of Amazon’s violations. Continue Reading . Here About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case 2:23-cv-01495 retrieved on October 2, 2023, from is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. ftc.gov

Michigan Takes Amazon to Court for Violation of Its Antitrust Reform Act 

OF THE PLAN FOR REFORMING THE SOCIETY.

In a rare display of bipartisan unity, U.S. representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, took to the House floor to passionately advocate for his groundbreaking "five-point plan" for political reform. With fervor, Khanna proposed measures such as term limits for Congress members and a ban on stock trading, striking a chord with the American public's long-held desires for change. In this article, we delve into the details of Khanna's ambitious plan, exploring its potential to reshape the political landscape and curb the influence of money and power within the hallowed halls of government. These ideas, once mere whispers of reform, are now gaining momentum, offering a glimmer of hope for a more accountable and transparent political future. On September 14th, Rep. Ro Khanna delivered a speech on the House of Representatives floor calling for support of his "five-point plan.” Ro Khanna, a Democratic Representative for California, made a passionate plea to fellow lawmakers and all Americans by introducing a political reform plan that would implement term limits and ban all members of Congress from trading stocks. Ideas like term limits and congressional stock trading bans have long been popular ideas among the general public. In an interview with the Washington Examiner discussing his five-point plan, Representative Khanna stated that "this is one of the few things that I think unite people in this country". One bill (H.J.Res.11) that proposed term limits was recently introduced into Congress back in January by Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina. The bill received some bipartisan support, with 4 Democrats joining 98 Republicans in sponsoring the bill. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and there it still sits awaiting an action. Interestingly, a bill (H.R.3003) that called for a stock trading ban was introduced back in April by two unlikely members of Congress: Matt Gaetz (Republican) and Alexandria Ocasio-Ortez (Democrat). "There's a real crisis of confidence right now in our democracy that people have lost faith that Congress is working for them. We're just part of a system that has lost the faith of the American public. To get involved in this kind of political reform effort has to be serious. And I would like to see candidates from both parties that embrace the reform agenda to this consensus." , U.S. Representative from California's 17th district Ro Khanna The Five-Point Plan for Political Reform Representative Ro Khanna's Five-Point Plan is as follows: Ban all PACs (political action committees) and lobbyist money from congressional campaigns. Ban members of Congress from stock trading, as well as ever becoming lobbyists. Term Limits for Members of Congress. Term Limits for Supreme Court Justices. The implementation of an Ethics Code for the Supreme Court Justices. If Khanna's plan is adopted, term limits for members of Congress will be set at a maximum of 12 years. Meanwhile, Supreme Court Justices would be allowed a maximum term limit of 18 years. "So much of the power of this country is in the hands of either millionaires and billionaires or in large amounts of money or institutions, organizations, corporations. People are able to raise money from online grassroots sources. It's not like you can't raise millions of dollars individually." Ro Khanna, U.S. Representative from California's 17th district People may be surprised by the amount of support that ideas, like term limits and stock trading bans, will actually get if they are seriously considered and brought into the public discourse. The simple fact that these ideas even get bipartisan support highlights just how fed up and disappointed, both Republican and Democrat, constituents are with their political representatives. For example, the American public may feel like their leaders have failed them, yet these same leaders continue to stay in power for years. This is the rot at the core of government that is essential to remove in order to prevent corruption. Implementing term limits is a way to put a cap on that political power and prevent politicians from being in office for decades on end. The time to ban stock trading for political representatives was yesterday. Politicians have profited for too long off of corrupt stock trading practices. In my personal opinion, a ban on stock trading for members of Congress makes complete sense. It is almost baffling that these lawmakers are able to buy/sell the same stocks that they have influence over. Some politicians sit on committees that make decisions that ultimately affect certain companies and industries. Therefore, it is logical that a politician may use this influence and knowledge to sway their stock trading. At the end of the day, I strongly support this legislation, and I hope that we continue to see more of this in the future. Do you support Term Limits for members of Congress and/ or Supreme Court Justices? Do you support a Stock Trading Ban for all members of Congress? What are your thoughts on this news? Join the conversation below! Check out my Socials: https://linktr.ee/zerorequiem0x Also published . here

US Rep Ro Khanna’s Five-Point Plan: The Time for Political Reform is Now

The Barchester Reformer

The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Roxana Insists Upon Reform here Roxana Insists Upon Reform The true Southern watermelon is a boon apart, and not to be mentioned with commoner things. It is chief of this world’s luxuries, king by the grace of God over all the fruits of the earth. When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat. It was not a Southern watermelon that Eve took: we know it because she repented. —Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar. About the time that Wilson was bowing the committee out, Pembroke Howard was entering the next house to report. He found the old Judge sitting grim and straight in his chair, waiting. “Well, Howard—the news?” “The best in the world.” “Accepts, does he?” and the light of battle gleamed joyously in the Judge’s eye. “Accepts? Why, he jumped at it.” “Did, did he? Now that’s fine—that’s very fine. I like that. When is it to be?” “Now! Straight off! To-night! An admirable fellow—admirable!” “Admirable? He’s a darling! Why, it’s an honor as well as a pleasure to stand up before such a man. Come—off with you! Go and arrange everything—and give him my heartiest compliments. A rare fellow, indeed; an admirable fellow, as you have said!” Howard hurried away, saying— “I’ll have him in the vacant stretch between Wilson’s and the haunted house within the hour, and I’ll bring my own pistols.” Judge Driscoll began to walk the floor in a state of pleased excitement; but presently he stopped, and began to think—began to think of Tom. Twice he moved toward the secretary, and twice he turned away again; but finally he said— “This may be my last night in the world—I must not take the chance. He is worthless and unworthy, but it is largely my fault. He was intrusted to me by my brother on his dying bed, and I have indulged him to his hurt, instead of training him up severely, and making a man of him. I have violated my trust, and I must not add the sin of desertion to that. I have forgiven him once already, and would subject him to a long and hard trial before forgiving him again, if I could live; but I must not run that risk. No, I must restore the will. But if I survive the duel, I will hide it away, and he will not know, and I will not tell him until he reforms, and I see that his reformation is going to be permanent.” He re-drew the will, and his ostensible nephew was heir to a fortune again. As he was finishing his task, Tom, wearied with another brooding tramp, entered the house and went tiptoeing past the sitting-room door. He glanced in, and hurried on, for the sight of his uncle had nothing but terrors for him to-night. But his uncle was writing! That was unusual at this late hour. What could he be writing? A chill of anxiety settled down upon Tom’s heart. Did that writing concern him? He was afraid so. He reflected that when ill luck begins, it does not come in sprinkles, but in showers. He said he would get a glimpse of that document or know the reason why. He heard some one coming, and stepped out of sight and hearing. It was Pembroke Howard. What could be hatching? Howard said, with great satisfaction: “Everything’s right and ready. He’s gone to the battle-ground with his second and the surgeon—also with his brother. I’ve arranged it all with Wilson—Wilson’s his second. We are to have three shots apiece.” “Good! How is the moon?” “Bright as day, nearly. Perfect, for the distance—fifteen yards. No wind—not a breath; hot and still.” “All good; all first-rate. Here, Pembroke, read this, and witness it.” Pembroke read and witnessed the will, then gave the old man’s hand a hearty shake and said: “Now that’s right, York—but I knew you would do it. You couldn’t leave that poor chap to fight along without means or profession, with certain defeat before him, and I knew you wouldn’t, for his father’s sake if not for his own.” “For his dead father’s sake I couldn’t, I know; for poor Percy—but you know what Percy was to me. But mind—Tom is not to know of this unless I fall to-night.” “I understand. I’ll keep the secret.” The Judge put the will away, and the two started for the battle-ground. In another minute the will was in Tom’s hands. His misery vanished, his feelings underwent a tremendous revulsion. He put the will carefully back in its place, and spread his mouth and swung his hat once, twice, three times around his head, in imitation of three rousing huzzas, no sound issuing from his lips. He fell to communing with himself excitedly and joyously, but every now and then he let off another volley of dumb hurrahs. He said to himself: “I’ve got the fortune again, but I’ll not let on that I know about it. And this time I’m going to hang on to it. I take no more risks. I’ll gamble no more, I’ll drink no more, because—well, because I’ll not go where there is any of that sort of thing going on, again. It’s the sure way, and the only sure way; I might have thought of that sooner—well, yes, if I had wanted to. But now—dear me, I’ve had a scare this time, and I’ll take no more chances. Not a single chance more. Land! I persuaded myself this evening that I could fetch him around without any great amount of effort, but I’ve been getting more and more heavy-hearted and doubtful straight along, ever since. If he tells me about this thing, all right; but if he doesn’t, I sha’n’t let on. I—well, I’d like to tell Pudd’nhead Wilson, but—no, I’ll think about that; perhaps I won’t.” He whirled off another dead huzza, and said, “I’m reformed, and this time I’ll stay so, sure!” He was about to close with a final grand silent demonstration, when he suddenly recollected that Wilson had put it out of his power to pawn or sell the Indian knife, and that he was once more in awful peril of exposure by his creditors for that reason. His joy collapsed utterly, and he turned away and moped toward the door moaning and lamenting over the bitterness of his luck. He dragged himself up-stairs, and brooded in his room a long time disconsolate and forlorn, with Luigi’s Indian knife for a text. At last he sighed and said: “When I supposed these stones were glass and this ivory bone, the thing hadn’t any interest for me because it hadn’t any value, and couldn’t help me out of my trouble. But now—why, now it is full of interest; yes, and of a sort to break a body’s heart. It’s a bag of gold that has turned to dirt and ashes in my hands. It could save me, and save me so easily, and yet I’ve got to go to ruin. It’s like drowning with a life-preserver in my reach. All the hard luck comes to me, and all the good luck goes to other people—Pudd’nhead Wilson, for instance; even his career has got a sort of a little start at last, and what has he done to deserve it, I should like to know? Yes, he has opened his own road, but he isn’t content with that, but must block mine. It’s a sordid, selfish world, and I wish I was out of it.” He allowed the light of the candle to play upon the jewels of the sheath, but the flashings and sparklings had no charm for his eye; they were only just so many pangs to his heart. “I must not say anything to Roxy about this thing,” he said, “she is too daring. She would be for 186digging these stones out and selling them, and then—why, she would be arrested and the stones traced, and then—” The thought made him quake, and he hid the knife away, trembling all over and glancing furtively about, like a criminal who fancies that the accuser is already at hand. Should he try to sleep? Oh, no, sleep was not for him; his trouble was too haunting, too afflicting for that. He must have somebody to mourn with. He would carry his despair to Roxy. He had heard several distant gunshots, but that sort of thing was not uncommon, and they had made no impression upon him. He went out at the back door, and turned westward. He passed Wilson’s house and proceeded along the lane, and presently saw several figures approaching Wilson’s place through the vacant lots. These were the duelists returning from the fight; he thought he recognized them, but as he had no desire for white people’s company, he stooped down behind the fence until they were out of his way. Roxy was feeling fine. She said: “Whah was you, child? Warn’t you in it?” “In what?” “In de duel.” “Duel? Has there been a duel?” “’Co’se dey has. De ole Jedge has be’n havin’ a duel wid one o’ dem twins.” “Great Scott!” Then he added to himself: “That’s what made him re-make the will; he thought he might get killed, and it softened him toward me. And that’s what he and Howard were so busy about.… Oh dear, if the twin had only killed him, I should be out of my—” “What is you mumblin’ bout, Chambers? Whah was you? Didn’t you know dey was gwyne to be a duel?” “No, I didn’t. The old man tried to get me to fight one with Count Luigi, but he didn’t succeed, so I reckon he concluded to patch up the family honor himself.” He laughed at the idea, and went rambling on with a detailed account of his talk with the Judge, and how shocked and ashamed the Judge was to find that he had a coward in his family. He glanced up at last, and got a shock himself. Roxana’s bosom was heaving with suppressed passion, and she was glowering down upon him with measureless contempt written in her face. “En you refuse’ to fight a man dat kicked you, ’stid o’ jumpin’ at de chance! En you ain’t got no mo’ feelin’ den to come en tell me, dat fetched sich a po’ low-down ornery rabbit into de worl’! Pah! it make me sick! It’s de nigger in you, dat’s what it is. Thirty-one parts o’ you is white, en on’y one part nigger, en dat po’ little one part is yo’ . Tain’t wuth savin’; tain’t wuth totin’ out on a shovel en throwin’ in de gutter. You has disgraced yo’ birth. What would yo’ pa think o’ you? It’s enough to make him turn in his grave.” soul The last three sentences stung Tom into a fury, and he said to himself that if his father were only alive and in reach of assassination his mother would soon find that he had a very clear notion of the size of his indebtedness to that man, and was willing to pay it up in full, and would do it too, even at risk of his life; but he kept this thought to himself; that was safest in his mother’s present state. “Whatever has come o’ yo’ Essex blood? Dat’s what I can’t understan’. En it ain’t on’y jist Essex blood dat’s in you, not by a long sight—’deed it ain’t! My great-great-great-gran’father en yo’ great-great-great-great-gran’father was Ole Cap’n John Smith, de highest blood dat Ole Virginny ever turned out, en great-great-gran’mother or somers along back dah, was Pocahontas de Injun queen, en her husbun’ was a nigger king outen Africa—en yit here you is, a slinkin’ outen a duel en disgracin’ our whole line like a ornery low-down hound! Yes, it’s de nigger in you!” his She sat down on her candle-box and fell into a reverie. Tom did not disturb her; he sometimes lacked prudence, but it was not in circumstances of this kind, Roxana’s storm went gradually down, but it died hard, and even when it seemed to be quite gone, it would now and then break out in a distant rumble, so to speak, in the form of muttered ejaculations. One of these was, “Ain’t nigger enough in him to show in his finger-nails, en dat takes mighty little—yit dey’s enough to paint his soul.” Presently she muttered. “Yassir, enough to paint a whole thimbleful of ’em.” At last her ramblings ceased altogether, and her countenance began to clear—a welcome sign to Tom, who had learned her moods, and knew she was on the threshold of good-humor, now. He noticed that from time to time she unconsciously carried her finger to the end of her nose. He looked closer and said: “Why, mammy, the end of your nose is skinned. How did that come?” She sent out the sort of whole-hearted peal of laughter which God had vouchsafed in its perfection to none but the happy angels in heaven and the bruised and broken black slave on the earth, and said: “Dad fetch dat duel, I be’n in it myself.” “Gracious! did a bullet do that?” “Yassir, you bet it did!” “Well, I declare! Why, how did that happen?” “Happened dis-away. I ’uz a-sett’n’ here kinder dozin’ in de dark, en goes a gun, right out dah. I skips along out towards t’other end o’ de house to see what’s gwyne on, en stops by de ole winder on de side towards Pudd’nhead Wilson’s house dat ain’t got no sash in it,—but dey ain’t none of ’em got any sashes, fur as dat’s concerned,—en I stood dah in de dark en look out, en dar in de moonlight, right down under me ’uz one o’ de twins a-cussin’—not much, but jist a-cussin’ soft—it ’uz de brown one dat ’uz cussin’, ’ca’se he ’uz hit in de shoulder. En Doctor Claypool he ’uz a-workin’ at him, en Pudd’nhead Wilson he ’uz a-he’pin’, en ole Jedge Driscoll en Pem Howard ’uz a-standin’ out yonder a little piece waitin’ for ’em to git ready agin. En treckly dey squared off en give de word, en went de pistols, en de twin he say, ‘Ouch!’—hit him on de han’ dis time,—en I hear dat same bullet go ag’in, de logs under de winder; en de nex’ time dey shoot, de twin say, ‘Ouch!’ ag’in, en I done it too, ’ca’se de bullet glance’ on his cheek-bone en skip up here en glance on de side o’ de winder en whiz right acrost my face en tuck de hide off’n my nose—why, if I’d ’a’ be’n jist a inch or a inch en a half furder ’t would ’a’ tuck de whole nose en disfiggered me. Here’s de bullet; I hunted her up.” che-bang! bang-bang spat! “Did you stand there all the time?” “Dat’s a question to ask, ain’t it? What else would I do? Does I git a chance to see a duel every day?” “Why, you were right in range! Weren’t you afraid?” The woman gave a sniff of scorn. “’Fraid! De Smith-Pocahontases ain’t ’fraid o’ nothin’, let alone bullets.” “They’ve got pluck enough, I suppose; what they lack is judgment. wouldn’t have stood there.” I “Nobody’s accusin’ you!” “Did anybody else get hurt?” “Yes, we all got hit ’cep’ de blon’ twin en de doctor en de seconds. De Jedge didn’t git hurt, but I hear Pudd’nhead say de bullet snip some o’ his ha’r off.” “’George!” said Tom to himself, “to come so near being out of my trouble, and miss it by an inch. Oh dear, dear, he will live to find me out and sell me to some nigger-trader yet—yes, and he would do it in a minute.” Then he said aloud, in a grave tone— “Mother, we are in an awful fix.” Roxana caught her breath with a spasm, and said— “Chile! What you hit a body so sudden for, like dat? What’s be’n en gone en happen’?” “Well, there’s one thing I didn’t tell you. When I wouldn’t fight, he tore up the will again, and—” Roxana’s face turned a dead white, and she said— “Now you’s —done forever! Dat’s de end. Bofe un us is gwyne to starve to—” done! “Wait and hear me through, can’t you! I reckon that when he resolved to fight, himself, he thought he might get killed and not have a chance to forgive me any more in this life, so he made the will again, and I’ve seen it, and it’s all right. But—” “Oh, thank goodness, den we’s safe ag’in!—safe! en so what did you want to come here en talk sich dreadful—” “Hold , I tell you, and let me finish. The swag I gathered won’t half square me up, and the first thing we know, my creditors—well, you know what’ll happen.” on Roxana dropped her chin, and told her son to leave her alone—she must think this matter out. Presently she said impressively: “You got to go mighty keerful now, I tell you! En here’s what you got to do. He didn’t git killed, en if you gives him de least reason, he’ll bust de will ag’in, en dat’s de time, now you hear me! So—you’s got to show him what you kin do in de nex’ few days. You’s got to be pison good, en let him see it; you got to do everything dat’ll make him b’lieve in you, en you got to sweeten aroun’ ole Aunt Pratt, too,—she’s pow’ful strong wid de Jedge, en de bes’ frien’ you got. Nex’, you’ll go ’long away to Sent Louis, en dat’ll him in yo’ favor. Den you go en make a bargain wid dem people. You tell ’em he ain’t gwyne to live long—en dat’s de fac’, too,—en tell ’em you’ll pay ’em intrust, en big intrust, too,—ten per—what you call it?” las’ keep “Ten per cent. a month?” “Dat’s it. Den you take and sell yo’ truck aroun’, a little at a time, en pay de intrust. How long will it las’?” “I think there’s enough to pay the interest five or six months.” “Den you’s all right. If he don’t die in six months, dat don’t make no diff’rence—Providence’ll provide. You’s gwyne to be safe—if you behaves.” She bent an austere eye on him and added, “En you gwyne to behave—does you know dat?” is He laughed and said he was going to try, anyway. She did not unbend. She said gravely: “Tryin’ ain’t de thing. You’s gwyne to it. You ain’t gwyne to steal a pin—’ca’se it ain’t safe no mo’; en you ain’t gwyne into no bad comp’ny—not even once, you understand; en you ain’t gwyne to drink a drop—nary single drop; en you ain’t gwyne to gamble one single gamble—not one! Dis ain’t what you’s gwyne to to do, it’s what you’s gwyne to . En I’ll tell you how I knows it. Dis is how. I’s gwyne to foller along to Sent Louis my own self; en you’s gwyne to come to me every day o’ yo’ life, en I’ll look you over; en if you fails in one single one o’ dem things—jist —I take my oath I’ll come straight down to dis town en tell de Jedge you’s a nigger en a slave—en it!” She paused to let her words sink home. Then she added, “Chambers, does you b’lieve me when I says dat?” do try do one prove Tom was sober enough now. There was no levity in his voice when he answered: “Yes, mother, I know, now, that I am reformed—and permanently. Permanently—and beyond the reach of any human temptation.” “Den g’ long home en begin!” About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Mark Twain (2004). The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/102/pg102-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

Roxana Insists Upon Reform

Mark Twain's Speeches by Mark Twain, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . DRESS REFORM AND COPYRIGHT here DRESS REFORM AND COPYRIGHT When the present copyright law was under discussion, Mr.
          Clemens appeared before the committee.  He had sent Speaker
          Cannon the following letter:

          “DEAR UNCLE JOSEPH,—Please get me the thanks of Congress, not
          next week but right away.  It is very necessary.  Do accomplish
          this for your affectionate old friend right away—by
          persuasion if you can, by violence if you must, for it is
          imperatively necessary that I get on the floor of the House for
          two or three hours and talk to the members, man by man, in
          behalf of support, encouragement, and protection of one of the
          nation’s most valuable assets and industries—its literature.
          I have arguments with me—also a barrel with liquid in it.

          “Give me a chance.  Get me the thanks of Congress.  Don’t wait
          for others—there isn’t time; furnish them to me yourself and
          let Congress ratify later.  I have stayed away and let Congress
          alone for seventy-one years and am entitled to the thanks.
          Congress knows this perfectly well, and I have long felt hurt
          that this quite proper and earned expression of gratitude has
          been merely felt by the House and never publicly uttered.

          “Send me an order on the sergeant-at-arms quick.  When shall I
          come?
                                   “With love and a benediction,
                                                       “MARK TWAIN.” While waiting to appear before the committee, Mr. Clemens
          talked to the reporters: Why don’t you ask why I am wearing such apparently unseasonable clothes? I’ll tell you. I have found that when a man reaches the advanced age of seventy-one years, as I have, the continual sight of dark clothing is likely to have a depressing effect upon him. Light-colored clothing is more pleasing to the eye and enlivens the spirit. Now, of course, I cannot compel every one to wear such clothing just for my especial benefit, so I do the next best thing and wear it myself. Of course, before a man reaches my years the fear of criticism might prevent him from indulging his fancy. I am not afraid of that. I am decidedly for pleasing color combinations in dress. I like to see the women’s clothes, say, at the opera. What can be more depressing than the sombre black which custom requires men to wear upon state occasions? A group of men in evening clothes looks like a flock of crows, and is just about as inspiring. After all, what is the purpose of clothing? Are not clothes intended primarily to preserve dignity and also to afford comfort to their wearer? Now I know of nothing more uncomfortable than the present-day clothes of men. The finest clothing made is a person’s own skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this. The best-dressed man I have ever seen, however, was a native of the Sandwich Islands who attracted my attention thirty years ago. Now, when that man wanted to don especial dress to honor a public occasion or a holiday, why, he occasionally put on a pair of spectacles. Otherwise the clothing with which God had provided him sufficed. Of course, I have ideas of dress reform. For one thing, why not adopt some of the women’s styles? Goodness knows, they adopt enough of ours. Take the peek-a-boo waist, for instance. It has the obvious advantages of being cool and comfortable, and in addition it is almost always made up in pleasing colors which cheer and do not depress. It is true that I dressed the Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur’s Court in a plug-hat, but, let’s see, that was twenty-five years ago. Then no man was considered fully dressed until he donned a plug-hat. Nowadays I think that no man is dressed until he leaves it home. Why, when I left home yesterday they trotted out a plug-hat for me to wear. “You must wear it,” they told me; “why, just think of going to Washington without a plug-hat!” But I said no; I would wear a derby or nothing. Why, I believe I could walk along the streets of New York—I never do—but still I think I could—and I should never see a well-dressed man wearing a plug-hat. If I did I should suspect him of something. I don’t know just what, but I would suspect him. Why, when I got up on the second story of that Pennsylvania ferry-boat coming down here yesterday I saw Howells coming along. He was the only man on the boat with a plug-hat, and I tell you he felt ashamed of himself. He said he had been persuaded to wear it against his better sense. But just think of a man nearly seventy years old who has not a mind of his own on such matters! “Are you doing any work now?” the youngest and most serious reporter asked. Work? I retired from work on my seventieth birthday. Since then I have been putting in merely twenty-six hours a day dictating my autobiography, which, as John Phoenix said in regard to his autograph, may be relied upon as authentic, as it is written exclusively by me. But it is not to be published in full until I am thoroughly dead. I have made it as caustic, fiendish, and devilish as possible. It will fill many volumes, and I shall continue writing it until the time comes for me to join the angels. It is going to be a terrible autobiography. It will make the hair of some folks curl. But it cannot be published until I am dead, and the persons mentioned in it and their children and grandchildren are dead. It is something awful! “Can you tell us the names of some of the notables that are here to see you off?” I don’t know. I am so shy. My shyness takes a peculiar phase. I never look a person in the face. The reason is that I am afraid they may know me and that I may not know them, which makes it very embarrassing for both of us. I always wait for the other person to speak. I know lots of people, but I don’t know who they are. It is all a matter of ability to observe things. I never observe anything now. I gave up the habit years ago. You should keep a habit up if you want to become proficient in it. For instance, I was a pilot once, but I gave it up, and I do not believe the captain of the Minneapolis would let me navigate his ship to London. Still, if I think that he is not on the job I may go up on the bridge and offer him a few suggestions. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Mark Twain (2004). Mark Twain's Speeches. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3188/pg3188-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

DRESS REFORM AND COPYRIGHT

In a bold move to restore accountability and protect American investors, U.S. Congressman Warren Davidson and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer have unveiled an ambitious piece of legislation aimed at reshaping the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). On June 12th, U.S. Congressman Warren Davidson and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer the introduction of the "SEC Stabilization Act". announced The SEC Stabilization Act promises to "restructure the Securities and Exchange Commission and remove Gary Gensler as Chair of the SEC". If passed, the proposed legislation will dismantle the Chairman position, and create a new role called the Executive Director, which will only manage the day-to-day operations of the SEC. All rulemaking, enforcement, and investigation authority within the SEC will now reside with a council of six Commissioners, who will serve six-year terms each. The two major American political parties, Democrats and Republicans, will be limited to a maximum of three Commissioners at any given time. This measure will protect the SEC from having a political agenda. " " American investors and industry deserve clear and consistent oversight, not political gamesmanship. The SEC Stabilization Act will make common-sense changes to ensure that the SEC's priorities are with the investors they are charged to protect and not the whims of its reckless Chair. Thank you, Representative Davidson, for leading this important effort to restore sanity at the SEC. - , U.S. Representative and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer Congressman Warren Davidson took to to share a video highlighting the many failures and abuse that transpired under Gary Gensler and the SEC. Twitter " " U.S. capital markets must be protected from a tyrannical Chairman, including the current one. That's why I'm introducing legislation to fix the ongoing abuse of power and ensure protection that is in the best interest of the market for years to come. It's time for real reform and to fire Gary Gensler as Chair of the SEC. - , U.S. Representative Warren Davidson The SEC Stabilization Act argues that there is a fundamental flaw in the current hierarchy structure of the SEC. At the top of the SEC, you are supposed to have a council of five Commissioners, with one serving as a Chairman. However, the way the SEC's power dynamics work out, the other four Commissioners are effectively powerless. You even had effectively calling out the SEC's policy judgments with her own Press Release in April, and nothing ever came of it. Commissioner Hester Peirce This just shows how powerless these other Commissioners are, in comparison to the Chairman. What are your thoughts on this news?
Do you think this bill will actually create a fairer SEC?
Will this lead to greater clarity on crypto regulation? Check out my Socials: https://linktr.ee/zerorequiem0x See ya! Also published . here

Stories, News & Mentions about REFORM

Reform’s Stories on HackerNoon

Reform's News & Mentions