United States Vs. Stevens, 08-769
JUSTICE ALITO, dissenting.
“The Court strikes down in its entirety a valuable statute, 18 U. S. C. §48, that was enacted not to suppress speech, but to prevent horrific acts of animal cruelty—in particular, the creation and commercial exploitation of “crush videos,” a form of depraved entertainment that has no social value.”
“The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, but it most certainly does not protect violent criminal conduct, even if engaged in for expressive purposes. Crush videos present a highly unusual free speech issue because they are so closely linked with violent criminal conduct. The videos record the commission of violent criminal acts, and it appears that these crimes are committed for the sole purpose of creating the videos. In addition, as noted above, Congress was presented with compelling evidence that the only way of preventing these crimes was to target the sale of the videos. Under these circumstances, I cannot believe that the First Amendment commands Congress to step aside and allow the underlying crimes to continue. “
The Alitos have a springer spaniel named Zeus. We’re guessing Zeus gets treated properly.
Tonight at 7, Norwell (MA) Reads: Spencer Quinn (at the library).
Tags: Alito
This entry was posted on Monday, April 26th, 2010 at 10:09 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
5:32 am on April 26th, 2010
UGH!
I can't conceive of someone wanting to watch this. It horrifies me even to read this much about it. There are some really sick people out there. Disgusting! And this is the dissenting voice. I wonder what the assenting views were. Ugh Ugh Ugh.
5:38 am on April 26th, 2010
I was not a fan of Alito when he first landed on the Supreme Court. And even though we often disagree, I now regard Alito with Supreme respect. How awful can the human species be that only one of nine such highly positioned persons actually "gets it"? What's next? Free speech to sell rape and murder videos? How can these videos involving torture and death of innocent animals be held protected as free speech? Shouldn't they be considered to be in a similar category to child pornography, which also involves cruel and illegal acts perpetrated upon defenseless creatures??? Humans…sometimes they're great, sometimes pathetic. Dogs would never do this to them!
5:44 am on April 26th, 2010
Alice, you poor thing. I'm sorry for picking on you. What a terrible start to your life. You are one lucky Kat to have that special family – they wait on you paw and foot, just as you deserve.
When you come on our next Mission, let's cuddle.
5:45 am on April 26th, 2010
AbbieTheKat!… I’m with you!…ugh!… My stomach hurts… snort!… I think it started hurting when I saw poor lil’ Alice this morning… sob!…
5:47 am on April 26th, 2010
Chet: This is a serious subject. Justice Alito excepted, something is very wrong with our Supreme Court on this vote. The nation within a nation needs to be protected from the evil people who make these videos.
And Alice: my heart is crying today for that memory.
Siber H: I will keep in mind all the adoptions yesterday to keep my spirits up. Thanks to all of you rescues and rescuers. I'm off to make a donation to dogs and cats today.
Oh and Sam and Siber H are right. Alice's staff catches the mice.
5:51 am on April 26th, 2010
Bumper Sticker:
Lord help me to be the person my dog thinks I am.
6:12 am on April 26th, 2010
EloiseThePug – You are so right on. You have stated just what I'm feeling.
I'm crying.
6:13 am on April 26th, 2010
Hello D a w s o n…
Heh!… I like that one!… snort!
6:15 am on April 26th, 2010
Ha Rio,
Gotcha!
Alice Johnson
6:16 am on April 26th, 2010
Mollypop,
I am always ready to cuddle with someone as cute as you. And you have your own song too.
Alice Johnson
8:10 am on April 26th, 2010
Man has always been the most dangerous animal on the planet.
8:42 am on April 26th, 2010
I'm sorry to say that Diane is very correct.
8:43 am on April 26th, 2010
Chet: I had to take an extra-long bike ride around 2 lakes this morning to dampen down the images evoked by your post this morning (and Alices' last night). Went to my favorite coffee roasters where the staff all have 4 legged pets and donated to a kill free animal shelter. Still there is this sadness in my heart. Please post one of your "it doesn't get any better than this" stories tommorrow. I feel like you did after tracking all night long only to find you'd gone in a circle. Only worse.
Here are some of the animals I saw on my ride. An albino fuzzbutt (rare), a swan(rare), canadian geese (common), lots of little birds including a baby cardinal and all kinds and sizes of nation within a nation members including a pug that had at least 10 pounds on Rio and was exercizing! (Very very rare.)
8:46 am on April 26th, 2010
You all have been joking about Alice having her staff catch mice for her, but she can catch her own. She proved it many times. However she practices 'catch and release' with mice. I guess she has so much fun she doesn't want it to end.
Story of Alice and her catch and release program…
http://2knitwits.blogspot.com/search?q=catch+and+…
Now I used to have a cat named Emily. Emily never lived in the wild. I bought her for 5 dollars in north Minneapolis many years ago. Emily has gone to the rainbow bridge, but while she lived she wanted desperately to catch a mouse. She got close to a shrew once but retreated when it bit her on the nose. Those shrew's are little terrors.
Anyway, here is the story of Emily and her mouse.
When I first married my husband and moved out to the farm there were lots of mouse condo's in the place. I cleaned it all out and things were fairly good considering it had not been lived in year round since the middle 1950's. We had one cupboard that the mice kept getting into, and in spite of having two cats, one named Emily, we didn't seem to be able to keep mice out of that drawer.
So one night I decided to put a mouse trap in that drawer and close it up so no cat would set off the trap.
In the morning I sort of forgot about it until I noticed Emily patrolling near the drawer. She was very attentive when I opened it up. I got a glimpse of a mouse in the trap and then Emily was in the drawer and grabbed the mouse by the tail.
Off she went, with the tail in her mouth and the trap attached to the other end of the mouse. She was so happy to have finally caught her mouse. Think how popular that would be on youtube!
[img ]http://chetthedog.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/1272303932-small emily and bear.jpg[/img]
Staff
8:50 am on April 26th, 2010
The story of my cat Emily and how she caught her mouse is being moderated. It also contains a link to a story of Alice and her mousing activities.
I am sure admin will let it through shortly.
I have a picture of Emily and Dawson but I don't suppose she would let me put it up no matter how many treats I gave her.
~Staff
9:00 am on April 26th, 2010
Before we became owned by the Newf Pack, we were owned by different shelter dogs, shelter cats and abandoned dogs.
I'm totally ashamed by the Supreme Court (except, in the case, Judge Alito).
This is NOT freedom of speech. Where are the animals' freedom of speech?
There is a song called The Prince's Panties by Mason Williams that I remember from childhood. The end of it goes . . .
"He had dogs, a hundred cocker spaniels and he
Called them panties, 'cause they did that mostly, and he
Did not care at all if they would bark and fetch sticks
Run and jump, roll over, and play dead tricks
No, he liked them only for their panting
So he would run them ragged, but one day they got fed up
And chased the prince right up against the fence
And the prince was eaten by his panties"
Unfortunately the Nation in the Nation would not do this, BUT I think I would certainly be Freedom of Speech if they did.
9:00 am on April 26th, 2010
by special request.
Alice doesn't like to be reminded about her time in the woods. Here is a picture showing her happy and furry. Those other times are OVER!
[img ]http://chetthedog.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/1272304744-small DSC02435.jpg[/img]
I have promised to never show it again.
~Staff
9:02 am on April 26th, 2010
Alice, you certainly look fluffy, happy and sassy. Let the staff bring those mice to you on a silver platter. You certainly deserve it.
9:34 am on April 26th, 2010
Whoa!…. You saw a 40 pound Pug?…. snort!…. That’s a lot of Pug!… grunt!
Alice!… I give her all of today to soak in everyone’s sympathy….snort!… But tomorrow it’s back to normal…wheeze!
10:36 am on April 26th, 2010
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ChetTheDog. ChetTheDog said: United States Vs. Stevens, 08-769: JUSTICE ALITO, dissenting. “The Court strikes down in its entirety a valuable s… http://bit.ly/9vaXrJ […]
9:56 am on April 26th, 2010
Well…
Rio: I'm only estimating the poundage of this pug according to the picture you posted yesterday. He was huge – I'd be straining to lift him.
B.Stover: try dogsinthefells.blogspot for lots of dog and scenery pictures and english vernacular.
10:21 am on April 26th, 2010
Hmmm. Dawson?
I tried that (first I wrote I tired that, still recovering from 5 am wakeup to drive to train station) and it just comes back that whatever that is doesn't exist.
10:31 am on April 26th, 2010
hmmm…
Melanie: I just googled dogsinthefells.blogspot and the address came up. It features Maia and Calliope, 2 of Chet's friends.
10:49 am on April 26th, 2010
Norwell!… Is anybody going to go to the Norwell Library tonight?…. sniff!… I wonder if he will tell any of his old stories…heh!….I bet that little guy never leaves MA….dang!
11:33 am on April 26th, 2010
Thank you Dawson. I googled it and it came up. Apparently there is nothing more recent than 2007. I love Weimaraners and these two are beautiful.
1:03 pm on April 26th, 2010
I have always questioned the wisdom of Supreme Court judges being appointed for life. Now, I really question it. They are almost as sick as the people making and watching the videos.
Thanks, Dawson ,for making a donation to the homeless animals. The economy is suppose to be getting better, but it isn't for our shelters around here. I hope this is a problem particular to New Mexico and that the shelters are doing better in other parts of the U.S.A. All of our shelters are full, and people keep wanting to surrender their pets. Another adoption event next weekend.
1:13 pm on April 26th, 2010
On a more positive note: Think of all the wonderful adoption and rescue stories there are. I'm glad Alice found a great home. Most of the dogs that come to our dog park were adopted from shelters or rescues.
1:23 pm on April 26th, 2010
Chet's blog is really the plce to be, isn't it? Where else would you find a cat that is a bottle blonde, a husky that wears eyeliner, ten newfs living in one house, and a pug that is a baseball fanatic, plays pool, and loves wings and beer.
1:30 pm on April 26th, 2010
Dear Siber-H – you forgot about the Princess-like me. I'm also working on playing Babycakes if the Princess thing falls through. You should see me lift up my dainty paw.
1:32 pm on April 26th, 2010
Hey – what about a cat who actually has a press pass to test quilts.
Also, a golden retriever who wears a moustache as a disguise.
This blog is the place to be!
1:33 pm on April 26th, 2010
I forgot about me! I'm the dog who does all the computer work and has a roomful of dog toys to show for it.
1:57 pm on April 26th, 2010
I apologize to all of you that I left out because I think all of you are unique and wonderful and entertaining. My only excuse is that they are working on our roof today and will be doing so for several days. Mom and I don't know if we can survive all the noise and commotion. If you come to New Mexico, don't buy one of those southwestern houses with a flat roof.
I wish we could move to the dog park until this is over with.
3:13 pm on April 26th, 2010
Well!… There is also Stover the amazing English teacher who keeps us all in line and teaches us important lessons from time to time… snort!…Have to mention Wookie again because he is more than just a guy who wears a mustache! He is ‘Top Agent Wookie’… snort!… The life and soul of all the missions! …heh!… Gus and BooBear (Puss N’ Boots) who love to watch “24”…. wheeze!… Alice the hypnotizing beautiful feline femme fatale! … grunt!…BlueKat the cross-eyed Siamese…cough!…Wolfie who loves to chase butterflies and figure out mysteries!… sneeze!… Lil Lexi who is still growing up and is incorrigible! …snort!…Melanie the keeper of the Newfs plus photographer/van driver!… wheeze!… Jasper the green eyed Poodle who loves Harry Potter!… snicker!
Grunt!… I hope I haven’t missed anybody!… sniff!… You are all amazing!
3:16 pm on April 26th, 2010
Ooooer!… Spence is probably at the library right now telling old stories that Admin has head a million times… snort!… and trying to tell jokes!…. grunt!… I hope a lot of the folks who live in Norwell, MA appreciate him any way! … wheeze!
3:18 pm on April 26th, 2010
Thank you Rio.
3:19 pm on April 26th, 2010
heard!… Not "head"… snort!..,I thought I had fixed that damn word…shoot!
3:31 pm on April 26th, 2010
Rocks!… They are playing the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight!… snort!snort!… I always love it when they beat the Snakes!… grunt!… So there will either be skipping or pouting later… cough!
3:48 pm on April 26th, 2010
Don't you also have to watch 24? You're going to have a busy night. My favorite, Castle, is only a repeat tonight. And I'm exhausted. Hope the Rockies win.
3:58 pm on April 26th, 2010
Riö and Siber-H again you come up with such wonderful thoughts of and for us.
Looking forward to bed! Carrying you all in my thoughts with me.
(Snicker . . . I'll be laughing in my sleep)
3:59 pm on April 26th, 2010
Thanks, Rio, for remembering everyone individually. You're a dog… I don't understand why you don't have memory and focus problems like Chet and I do. I'm just glad that you don't. Mom is trying the word, "focus", on me at times…ha, ha, ha
I just remembered Dawson. I enjoy reading her posts, and she likes to get Rio going sometimes, which is always entertaining. I refuse to call her Zippy because I like the name Dawson.
4:01 pm on April 26th, 2010
There once was a K-A-T from Nantucket…
4:07 pm on April 26th, 2010
Stover!… I will not abandon Jack tonight! … snort!… His show is only on for a few more weeks and … sigh… praise God!… baseball will be on all summer and into Fall…heh!… I can sacrifice a game now and then…grunt! …Even if it is the Snakes!…gulp!
I thought you were for the Rays!… hey!
4:35 pm on April 26th, 2010
Jasper!…
She carried a grudge and a bucket.
No one could tell if she was crazy or well
Because she always went forth and said ‘suck it’.
Heh!.. Another bad rhyme for Alice…heh!… Maybe someone could make it better?
4:35 pm on April 26th, 2010
I hope we didn't forget anyone. I love all of you and I don't want anyone to have hurt feelings.
4:50 pm on April 26th, 2010
me too, Sam
5:05 pm on April 26th, 2010
The Bad Rhyme continues!….snort!
One day she became only slightly insane
She knew a guy who thought he should die
He had no plan just hope for some luck and a bucket.
5:06 pm on April 26th, 2010
Stop Me!… wheeze!
5:09 pm on April 26th, 2010
Mom read a book yesterday about the humble beginnings of "Best Friends Animal Sanctuary" and it is a story about good people who had hope, dreams, and were willing to work their butts off. (I love that word, Butt! I'm not sure why but….oh, hey, it's my name!! No wonder I love it!)
There are people who are meanies who live mean little lives and then take it out on their sweet doggies and kitties. But there are others who believe that every life is sacred.
In some countries, it is illegal to euth***** cats and dogs. (I can't bear to write that word.) But it our country, it happens something like 14,000 times a DAY. Criminal!!
In our house, nearly everyone is a rescue. I used to live with someone who was very mean to me. But one day, my boys walked by and heard me crying. They jumped over the fence and grabbed me and we ran very fast to my forever home. That mean man came back the next day and took me back to that awful place, but later that night, I jumped the fence all by myself and ran home VERY fast, in through the garage door, and have been here ever since. That mean man ended up in jail.
14 years ago, someone dumped Teddy off on the side of the road. She sat and waited patiently for a day and a half, and mom stopped on her way to work and picked up Teddy and gave her a forver home. Teddy loves cheese and has a beautiful smile.
Our town had a very sweet lady who loved cats. She loved them so much that she had 75, and devoted her life to taking good care of them. But then her rental home was sold and she had to go live with her brother in Oregon. Our community worked together and good homes were found for one and all! That is how Claudy and Maggie came to live with us.
There is so much to be done to prevent horrible things from happening, but there are also so many of us who care and who make a difference. Each and everyone on this blog are devoted to our four footed friends, and that is our bond. I'm glad mom found you all. It feels like home here.
5:15 pm on April 26th, 2010
Alice, I'm sorry you had such a rough beginning. But you are a bee-you-ti-ful angel now. (Just try not to stare at me too hard!)
5:18 pm on April 26th, 2010
Hmmmmm….maybe we should have Bo Obama join our blog! I betcha he would have some great stories to tell, plus he could talk to the head guy about STUFF.
Hey….maybe he could help us get into the White House! Now that would be a good adventure. Or maybe we could sneak into the Supreme Court and we could lick them until they came to their senses!!!
5:31 pm on April 26th, 2010
Puss N’ Boots!… are you watching this?… snort!…
Wolfie!… loved your speech….sniff!…got to go!
5:38 pm on April 26th, 2010
Wolfie!… I meant your life story, not speech!… snort!.. I am writing quickly during commercials…24 is on…. Oh my good fellow!…wow!… so glad you are in a good place now!…snort!… and glad you feel like this another home too…. Wink wink nod nod! … heh!
5:41 pm on April 26th, 2010
Wolfie – About my boy, he went to Midwest School in Iowa.
5:43 pm on April 26th, 2010
Great post Wolfie…sometimes there is justice since that evil man ended up in jail. I'm glad you and Teddy are both safe and in a wonderful home.
about the Supreme Court..I'm thinking more along the lines of grabbing them by the pant leg, or I guess in this case, it would be a robe.
5:49 pm on April 26th, 2010
Really!… good one SiberH!… I am laughing and crying at the same time!…grunt!
6:03 pm on April 26th, 2010
Holy Cow!… the Snakes are ahead, 5-1, bottom of the eighth… WAIT!… the Rockies just scored!… I knew they just needed me here for them!… 5-2… now there is real hope!… heh!
6:15 pm on April 26th, 2010
Wolfie Wigglebutt of the WWW: One reason I think your boys are gonna be all right in the long term is because they have you and now I know how they got you…well I know they'll come out doing fine. Takes alot of strength of character to do what they did. That strength will serve them well in all aspects of their lives.
6:29 pm on April 26th, 2010
Hockey hopes dashed. I'm going to curl up in bed with Mom and try to forget all about this.
Rio – I hope your Rockies do well – win and make you happy. Later on I will root for the Yankees but now I'm too sad to think about any of that.
6:31 pm on April 26th, 2010
Yikes!… Five to three!… holy crap!.. 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth though… ahhhh!
6:32 pm on April 26th, 2010
GIAMBI! done…crap!
6:35 pm on April 26th, 2010
totally pouting now… snort!
6:56 pm on April 26th, 2010
Dawson,
We have been going through a rough spell with the boys and we get discouraged at times. Thank you for reminding me of their real strength. They have good hearts even if they get lost at times. They were abused and abandoned too AND, even though they are indentical twins, they were separated from each other for two years!!!! We were appalled. They didn't come to their forever home until they were 10 and much damage was done.
Me and mom and dad will not give up on our boys. EVER!!
7:07 pm on April 26th, 2010
Sam,
Oh….my boys are going to Red Rock Canyon School in St George. They have been there for a year now.
I'm glad your boy is doing great!
7:09 pm on April 26th, 2010
Ahem!… Today was a very emotional day for all of us. No one can deny that. We all love animals and we all care about each other. I am so proud to be friends, albeit, blog friends, with you all. I think if we ever all met one another we would have a helluva time!…heh!… This is a special week not for us but for someone we all adore… And I am drawn to a prayer for him.
Lord of All Creation, please watch over Peter Abrahams, his family, friends, and associates while he participates in the Edgar Awards activities this week. He alone gives us so much. There seems to be no way to repay him for all the hours of entertainment he creates for us out of his imagination and amazing writing ability. The creation of this forum, which enables us with similar interests to come together and get to know each other, is priceless. And maybe at first it was a marketing idea, but I think it has become more than that. It has become a place for interesting and talented entities to come together to finally meet each other, who never would have met if not for Chet's Blog. Thank you Lord for Peter Abrahams. I know I am not alone when I pray he will win the award! Woooo! Amen!
7:15 pm on April 26th, 2010
Rio, you say the best prayers of all……
Amen!
7:15 pm on April 26th, 2010
Hmmm!… I’ve been posting in-between the ‘Wolfie Boys’ story going on.. snort!.. But Wolfie knows how I feel about that!… wheeze!… I think with all the love and support they have, those two guys will make it! … gruff!
7:18 pm on April 26th, 2010
Wolfie!.. we posted at the same time!…shudder!
7:21 pm on April 26th, 2010
Yes, Rio, we watched 24. The prez totally sold out and we're glad Ethan resigned!! Come on, Jack, to the rescue. Just like Chet and Bernie…always saving the day. We had to wait until late to post because Mom makes us watch the recording of Dancing with the Stars after 24. What a switch!
Mom and Dad were out of town for a long weekend and took the computer with them so we couldn't post, although Mom read the blog each day. Alot going on. Alice Johnson, what a tough start to life but now such a beauty. But today's post by Chet made us very sad. Cannot understand cruelty to others, particularly innocent animals.
This really is a special and varied group on this blog. Hope Chet (and Bernie, Spence and Admin) enjoy it as much as we do.
What will happen to Albie and Foster next?
7:26 pm on April 26th, 2010
Ahhh!…. I waited up for the Puss N’ Boots post!.. snort!… Nice ones fellows!… ( and yes SHE totally has sold him out!.. and it pisses me off to NO END!)… grrrrrooowwwl!
Goodnight all!.. don’t let the bed bugs bite!..heh! … still funny to me!..heh!
7:36 pm on April 26th, 2010
Yes! The Edgar Awards – Good luck, Peter!!
Can we vote for you?
Like Bernie, you are the greatest!