U.S. lawyer for Megaupload.com leaves case

Just an update to a story I covered recently about Megaupload…

(Reuters) – Content-sharing Internet service Megaupload.com has lost the help of one of the best-known U.S. defense lawyers as it begins to fight charges of copyright infringement, a person familiar with the matter said.
Robert Bennett was required to withdraw from the case because of a conflict involving at least one other client of his law firm, Hogan Lovells, this person told Reuters. The other client or clients were not identified.
Bennett initially advised Megaupload.com. The company and seven of its executives were charged in a 5-count, 72-page indictment unsealed on Thursday accusing them of engaging in a wide-ranging and lucrative scheme to offer material online without compensating the copyright holders.
Bennett’s long career includes past representation of President Bill Clinton. He was Clinton’s personal attorney in a sexual-harassment case brought by Paula Jones. He has represented a wide array of other prominent Washington officials and U.S. corporations, including former energy giant Enron Corp.
Under the ethics rules for U.S. lawyers, a firm generally does not represent two clients whose interests are at odds. Conflicts are especially likely to arise at law firms as large as Hogan Lovells, one of the biggest in the world, because of the number and variety of clients they represent.
via U.S. lawyer for Megaupload.com withdraws | Reuters.

Word is the porn crowd is still mourning in sackcloth and ashes. I mean, all that porn….gone! 😥 Anyhow, I am sure they will get themselves another lawyer, and if my suspicion is correct, they will end up either getting the charges dismissed or reduced to fines. Either way, it should be interesting to watch! 😀

Others: Law Blog, Law Librarian Blog

Zach Edwards loses his job

As he should….

Remember Zack Edwards, the guy arrested for scamming? Well, he’s unemployed.

Jeff Link, president of Link Strategies, confirmed Saturday that Edwards no longer works for the company.
“I am greatly disturbed by the charge brought against Zach, and understand the pending legal action will run its course,” Link said.
He added that within hours “of learning of this situation, I met with Zach and notified him he was no longer employed with Link Strategies effective immediately. After gathering further information it is clear the incident involved in the allegation was related to a personal action taken by Zach and unrelated to his work with Link Strategies. “
Link also said his firm “holds itself to a high bar of ethics and professionalism, and this type of activity is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.”
via Political consultants quickly fire arrested man | The Des Moines Register | DesMoinesRegister.com.

Way I see it, anyone stupid enough to pull off a bone-headed stunt like this; should be unemployed and remain unemployed for a very long time. Hopefully, the justice system runs its course and the only kind of job this guy will be maintaining is the “pivot man” in a circle jerk. (Yeah, I know, it’s nasty, but I needed to make my point in a blunt way…)

Others: The Iowa Republican

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to resign from Congress

The inspiring video:

The story via Arizona Daily Star:

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will step down from Congress this week to focus on her recovery, her staff announced Sunday.
“I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week,” Giffords said in a video message.
Giffords, a third-generation Arizonan who served five years in the state Legislature before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2006, will not seek re-election this fall.
Giffords vowed to return public service.
“I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country,” she said.
In the two-minute video, Giffords urged her colleagues in Congress to work across party lines.
“A lot has happened over the past year,” she said. “We cannot change that. But I know on the issues we fought for, we can change things for the better.”
Giffords will submit her letter of resignation later this week to House Speaker John Boehner and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. The governor will set the date for special primary and general elections to determine who will serve the remainder of Giffords’ term.

God Bless her, my her recovery be swift.

I will say this, I am very highly disappointed in this nasty comments being left over on the YouTube page where this video was posted. I don’t give a hoot who it is and what side they are on; it is shameful.

Gabrielle Giffords: U.S. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS WILL STEP DOWN FROM CONGRESS THIS WEEK

ABCNEWS: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to Step Down from Congress

Round Up: msnbc.com, Scared Monkeys, Patterico’s Pontifications, Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, The Democratic Daily, The Raw Story, Arizona Republic and The Moderate Voice, WTVM-TV, Taegan Goddard’s …, Wake up America, The Daily Caller, Guardian, The Political Carnival, RedState, CBS New York and The Impolitic

Update: As always Ed Morrissey displays the class that makes me respect him very highly:

I respect Giffords’ decision, given her inability to execute the duties of the office and her need to focus on her recovery, but I wish she could have recovered enough to fill out the rest of her term. It would have been a defiant answer to the madness of her would-be assassin. Regardless, my prayers will be with her and her family as she continues to recover, and I hope that she finds herself able to return to full capacity as soon as possible. I may have disagreed with Giffords on many points of policy, but the courage shown by her and her husband in very difficult circumstances has been inspiring to people all across the political spectrum.

Agreed times 1 bazillion.

Update #2: Apparently some bloggers have nothing better to do than to knock others down to make themselves look good. Kinda like a particular pony-tailed queer I know. I say this to her in Yiddish:

du bist an absolut umkoved keyn dayn mishpokhe keyn got der tate un keyn your`land yisroyl

Videos: Flip-Flop: Romney caves on tax returns

First he was against it: (H/T HotAir.com)

Then, he was for it: (via Daily Caller – H/T HotAir.com)

This calls into question Mitt Romney’s judgements and ability think under pressure. My question is, which Mitt Romney would we be voting for and if he cannot stick to a single position here, what else would be flip flop on? Would he flip flop on Obamacare too? These are questions that he must answer.

Joe Paterno dead at 85

To be quite honest with you, I can fit on the head of a pin, what I honestly know about and really care about the sport of Football. However, this story does stand out:

Video:

The Story:

State College, Pennsylvania (CNN) — Joe Paterno, whose tenure as the most successful coach in major college football history ended abruptly in November amid allegations that he failed to respond forcefully enough to a sex abuse scandal involving a former assistant, died Sunday, a family spokesman said. He was 85.
The longtime Penn State head coach was diagnosed with what his family had called a treatable form of lung cancer shortly after the university’s Board of Trustees voted to fire him.
He had been hospitalized in December after breaking his pelvis in a fall at his home and again in January for what his son called minor complications from his cancer treatments.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that Joe Paterno passed away earlier today,” the family statement said. “His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled.”
via Legendary Penn State coach Paterno dead at 85 – CNN.com.

Like I said above, I not much of a football fan; but from what I see here and from what I read this man was a excellent football coach, who had a great career, that came to abrupt end. All because his assistant coach was some sort of sex pervert; and the old guy did not know what to do and so, he deferred the problem to someone else. I would guess that was something that he did highly regret.

Now, the man is not suffering anymore; he is with the angels in Heaven and standing before the almighty creator of this World we live in. For his sake, I hope he did truly know Christ and I hope that, for his sake, the Lord God of Heaven and Earth as as merciful to him, as he was me on June 7, 1982 — when I made the decision to accept Christ as my personal Saviour and Lord. I won’t get into the alternative to that decision, as we all know about that.

May the old gentleman rest in peace, because as anyone that has followed this story knows, this old-timer earned it.

Sunday Morning Open Thread

I’m still trying to get over last night. I was up a little later than I have stayed up. I’m trying to avoid getting back to that idiotic habit of staying up all night and sleeping off a day. It’s a bad habit to get into, and I am trying to avoid it.

Today is going to be, barring some big news; a day relaxation for me.

How about you? What’s your plate today?

Quote of the Day

When Patty Tegeler looks out the window of her home overlooking the Appalachian Mountains in southwestern Virginia, she sees trouble on the horizon.
“In an instant, anything can happen,” she told Reuters. “And I firmly believe that you have to be prepared.”
Tegeler is among a growing subculture of Americans who refer to themselves informally as “preppers.” Some are driven by a fear of imminent societal collapse, others are worried about terrorism, and many have a vague concern that an escalating series of natural disasters is leading to some type of environmental cataclysm.
They are following in the footsteps of hippies in the 1960s who set up communes to separate themselves from what they saw as a materialistic society, and the survivalists in the 1990s who were hoping to escape the dictates of what they perceived as an increasingly secular and oppressive government.
[….]
So, assuming there is no collapse of society — which the preppers call “uncivilization” — what is the future of the preppers?
Gutierrez said that unlike the Millerites — or followers of radio preacher Harold Camping, who predicted the world would end last year — preppers are not setting a date for the coming destruction. The Mayan Calendar predicts doom this December.
“The minute you set a date, you are courting disconfirmation,” she said.
Tegeler, who recalls being hit by tornadoes and floods in her southwestern Virginia home, said that none of her “survival center” products will go to waste.
“I think it’s silly not to be prepared,” she said. “After all, anything can happen.”

Newt Gingrich Snags the win in South Carolina

Obviously, I underestimated the power Chuck Norris. 😯

ABC, Fox News, CBS, AP, are all reporting that New Gingrich has won the South Carolina primary. I guess the accusations of his second ex-wife did not stick at all. Which says much about the moral condition of South Carolina and of the Nation as a whole.

AllahPundit, as always has some very good information. Here’s Romney’s speech, in this speech, he dings Gingrich, Newt does not return the favor and in fact, he compliments all of the people running with him in the primary. Voters will remember that:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Here is the first part of Newt’s victory speech, I’ll post the second part when it comes up: (H/T Fox News Insider)

and Part 2:

Florida is going to be an interesting battle. I look forward to blogging about it! 😀

Blogger Round up via Memeornadum

Two interesting blog postings on #SOPA, Hollywood and the legal system

This comes via Matt Mullenweg, who’s the genius behind the software that powers this blog —- and almost every other one under the sun.

Andrew Bridges — PandoDaily: Forget SOPA, Hollywood Already Had a Field Day with the Justice System.
Clay Shirky: Pick up the pitchforks: David Pogue underestimates Hollywood.

Ronald Reagan said it best:

…and the Technology/Blogger/web 2.0 crowd found that out this past week, first hand. Now, do you still all want to be Democrats?

Just a thought…..

Culture of Corruption: Former Obama Staffer Busted for Stealing Iowa Secretary of State’s Identity

I have not always agreed with Michelle Malkin; but when she wrote this book here, she had a very good point — and no I am not talking about the one on the top of her head either! 😉 :

Barack Obama’s 2008 Iowa New Media Director was arrested Friday for attempting to use the identities of Secretary of State Matt Schultz, and/or his brother Thomas, with the intent to falsely implicate the Secretary Schultz in illegal or unethical behavior. Zach Edwards, 29, of Des Moines, currently works for Link Strategies, a Democrat-affiliated organization with ties to Iowa Senator Tom Harkin. Edwards is the Director of New Media for Link Strategies.
The Secretary of State’s office discovered the alleged crime and reported it to authorities. Edwards turned himself in to the Iowa DCI agents Friday afternoon. He was charged with identity theft, a misdemeanor, and booked into the Polk County jail. Edwards posted $2,000 bail and was released later on Friday. He faces up to two years in prison.
Zach Edwards’ bio on Link Strategies website says he joined the Obama campaign in early 2007 as an intern in Nevada. He eventually joined the New Media department and directed their operations in five other primary states. He was the Iowa Director of New Media for Barack Obama’s general election campaign. After the election, Edwards joined Link Strategies, “where he provides innovative web-based research tools, video analysis and production, and web-based communication tools to assist our clients,” according to the bio.
Those clients include Iowa Senator Tom Harkin. On the Link Strategies testimonial page, Harkin credits the political consultant group for his electoral success. “The folks at Link Strategies have been helping me win campaigns since 1996. Whether it is managing campaigns or handling research, their specialty is doing quality work while finding smart, creative solutions to problems. In a tough fight, there is no question that I want Link Strategies in my corner.”
Jeff Link, the founder of Link Strategies, ran the Gore-Lieberman presidential campaign in Iowa in 2000. He managed Tom Harkin’s 2002 and 2008 reelection campaigns. Link also served as a media consultant for Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.
via Former Obama Staffer Busted for Stealing Iowa Secretary of State’s Identity | The Iowa Republican.

Charming fellow. 🙄

Others: Iowa Grounds, Power Line, Hot Air, Des Moines Register, RedState and The Gateway Pundit