Archive for the ‘Law Satire’ Category
Sunday, October 12th, 2008
A bipartisan legislative panel in Alaska finds Sarah Palin guilty of abusing her executive power. So is Palin contrite? Hahahahaha!
Actually, I’m find it tough to get my head around Palin’s response. (Unlike so many Republicans, I’ve never been any good at holding two contradictory positions at the same time.)
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin this weekend disregarded an ethics investigator’s finding that she had abused her executive power as Alaska’s governor and instead embraced a second finding in the report to say that she had been cleared of wrongfully firing her state public safety commissioner. …
In a Saturday conference call with Alaska journalists, Palin said she was “pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing … any hint of any kind of unethical activity there.” She denounced the investigation, calling it “a partisan circus.” …
Okay, I’m not positive, but here’s what seems to be the McCain campaign’s official response to the Troopergate ethics violation report:
1) It exonerates her; and
2) If it hadn’t been an Obama-controlled hit job, it would have exonerated her.
My head hurts.
Sarah In Wonderland
By Madeleine Begun Kane
So what is Gov. Palin’s excuse
For the finding of power abuse?
She pretends it ain’t there,
While she claims it ain’t fair,
With the facts playing games, fast and loose.
Tags: Abuse of Executive Power, Alaska Ethics Violation, Campaign Satire, Election Humor, Governor Palin, McCain Campaign, Presidential Election, Troopergate
Posted in Barack Obama, Campaign Humor, Election Satire, GOP Humor, John McCain, Law Satire, Legal Limericks, Political Commentary, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Sarah Palin | 1 Comment »
Monday, October 6th, 2008
At first, I was amused by John McCain’s bitter-sounding “life isn’t fair” remark.
Asked why Obama has been rising as the Wall Street crisis has dominated attention, McCain said with a chuckle on Fox News Channel: “Because life isn’t fair.”
But on second thought, I’ve decided McCain is right:
Finally, A McCain Statement I Can Agree With
By Madeleine Begun Kane
McCain’s very wrong about war
And on health care and taxes and more.
But he’s right (though it’s rare)
With his “life isn’t fair,”
Cuz what else could explain Bush v. Gore?
Tags: Bush v. Gore, Campaign Satire, Election Humor, Health Care, Legal Humor, Life Isn't Fair, Presidential Election, Senator McCain Humor, Senator Obama, Taxes, War
Posted in Barack Obama, Campaign Humor, Election Satire, George Bush Satire, GOP Humor, John McCain, Law Satire, Political Limericks, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, Supreme Court | 5 Comments »
Thursday, October 2nd, 2008
According to Fred Thompson, Sarah Palin’s inability to name a single Supreme Court case she disagrees with wasn’t her fault. Why not? Because Katie Couric didn’t give her a list of cases. I half-expected Thompson to demand a do-over test.
A Do-Over Supreme Court Test For Palin?
By Madeleine Begun Kane
You’re excused, dear Ms. Palin. Rejoice!
Now that Thompson has lent you his voice,
The court case-test you flunked
Has been strongly debunked
As unfair — wasn’t multiple choice.
Tags: Campaign Satire, Do-Over Tests, Election Humor, Fred Thompson, Governor Palin, Katie Couric, Legal Humor, Presidential Campaign, Supreme Court Humor
Posted in Campaign Humor, Election Satire, Law Satire, Legal Limericks, Media Satire, Political Limericks, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, Sarah Palin, Supreme Court | 4 Comments »
Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Jeralyn over at Talk Left has declared Colorado to be a “Nanny State.” Why? Because its Appeals Court has decreed that Colorado no-smoking laws apply to actors on stage.
(Coincidentally, just last night my husband and I saw an Off-Broadway play during which two of the actors smoked. In fact, we got a second-row contact-high from one of them.)
But getting back to the Colorado judiciary, the court deserves a limerick, don’t you think?
Ode To Colorado: Nanny State
By Madeleine Begun Kane
“No smoking on stage!” says the judge,
Cuz “No smoking indoors!” He won’t budge.
So no matter the role,
There’s a no-smoke patrol.
Soon they won’t let their actors eat fudge.
You can find more of my smoking-related humor here and my theater-related humor here.)[tags]Legal Satire, Judge Humor, No-Smoking Humor, Smoking Laws, Theater Humor, Actors Verse[/tags]
Posted in Censorship Satire, Free Speech, Judiciary Satire, Law Satire, Nanny State, Social Satire | Comments Off on Ode To Colorado: Nanny State
Friday, March 14th, 2008
What does Spitzer’s downfall prove? That you don’t have to be a Republican to be a hypocrite.
Eliot Spitzer deserves a limerick, don’t you think?
Ode To Eliot Spitzer
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Though Spitzer has said he abhors
Prostitution, he paid to use whores.
And one of his cons
Was he punished the johns
While committing their crime on all fours.
Tags: Eliot Spitzer, Elliot Spitzer, Hypocrisy, Law Humor, Laws, Legal Satire, New York State Humor, Prostitution, Spitzer
Posted in Eliot Spitzer, Law Satire, New York Politics, Political Limericks, Political Verse, Politics Satire | 13 Comments »
Monday, October 22nd, 2007
Here’s how I’d sum up Attorney General nominee Mike Mukasey’s Senate Judiciary Committee testimony about torture, waterboarding, and the U.S. Constitution:
Torture: Bad
Tortured Language: Good[tags]Michael Mukasey, Attorney General Nominee, Torture & Waterboarding Satire[/tags]
Posted in Constitution Humor, Foreign Policy, GOP Humor, Justice Department, Law Satire, Michael Mukasey, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, Torture Humor | Comments Off on Shorter Michael Mukasey
Wednesday, October 10th, 2007
Can you imagine the reaction if a Democratic candidate made a Mitt Romney type consult the lawyers before launching a war remark? Republicans wouldn’t be guilty of a double standard, would they?
First Kill All The Lawyers (Republican Policy)
First Consult All The Lawyers (Mitt Romney Policy)
First Kill All The Democrat Lawyers (Revised Republican Policy)
(You can find more of my legal humor here.) [tags]Mitt Romney, Legal Humor, Republicans & Lawyers, GOP & Attorneys, Debate Humor, GOP Hypocrisy[/tags]
Posted in Campaign Humor, Debate Humor, Election Satire, Foreign Policy, GOP Humor, Law Satire, Mitt Romney Humor, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, Uncategorized, White House | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007
I can almost hear that promise Bush and Cheney surely made to Scooter Libby way back when:
Tell no tales,
And you won’t go to jail.
Scooter came through with flying (and lying) colors and has now gotten his unjust deserts:
Bush obstructs justice,
Rewarding Scooter’s silence:
Prison-free pay-off.
(You can find more legal and lawyer humor and satire here and more news and political haiku here.) [tags]Scooter Libby, Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Commutation, Commuted Sentence, Bush Obstructs Justice, President Bush, VP Cheney, Cover Up, Valerie Plame[/tags]
Posted in Dick Cheney Satire, George Bush Satire, GOP Humor, Law Satire, Libby Humor, News Haiku & Senryu, Political Haiku & Senryu, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, White House | 1 Comment »
Thursday, June 21st, 2007
I wonder if President Bush was as surprised as the rest of us at learning that his VEEP isn’t part of the Executive Branch. Yup, Bush’s Lord and Master Dick Cheney has declared his office to be exempt from all sorts of pesky legal Executive Branch requirements because — presto chango — it isn’t part of the Executive Branch. Needless to say, Henry Waxman and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee aren’t pleased with Cheney’s out-of-the-box Constitution-plundering assertion.
Just one question: If VEEP Cheney isn’t part of the Executive Branch, does that mean he’s waived his right to claim Executive Privilege? Just wondering.
(You can find more of my legal and lawyer humor and satire here.)
[tags]Dick Cheney, Vice President Richard Cheney, Executive Privilege, Executive Branch, Chairman Waxman, House Oversight And Government Reform Committee, Constitutional Crisis, George Bush, Satire[/tags]
Posted in Constitution Humor, Constitutional Crisis, Democracy Humor, Dick Cheney Satire, GOP Humor, Henry Waxman, House Satire, Law Satire, Politics Satire, White House | 1 Comment »
Thursday, June 7th, 2007
Remember the time Dick Cheney told to Senator Leahy what he could do to himself on the Senate floor? Remember the time George Bush was overheard wishing that someone could get the Hezbollah “to stop doing this [expletive deleted]?” Well, a federal appeals panel remembers and cites these incidents as a basis for shutting down the F.C.C.’s anti-fleeting expletive crusade.
It’s deliciously ironic, don’t you think? And it’s haiku inspiring too:
Fleeting expletives
Uttered by Bush and Cheney
Stymie censorship. [tags]FCC, Bush expletive, Cheney expletive, FCC Censorship[/tags]
Posted in Constitution Humor, Dick Cheney Satire, FCC Censorship, Free Speech, George Bush Satire, GOP Humor, Law Satire, Political Haiku & Senryu, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, White House | 1 Comment »
Thursday, April 5th, 2007
Rachel Maddow has an update on Orrin Hatch’s smear campaign against Carol Lam, the U.S. Attorney for San Diego who was recently fired by the Justice Department. Senator Hatch has now issued a just-barely-an-apology for telling the following lies about Lam this past Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press:
She was a former law professor, no prosecutorial experience, and the former campaign manager in Southern California for Clinton.
I’ve summarized this sorry saga in a pair of limericks called Truth On The Lam:
Truth On The Lam
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Orrin Hatch hatched big lies about Lam,
Won’t admit that his claims are a sham.
She was wrongfully axed,
But he conjured up “facts”.
About truth Hatch does not give a damn.
Under pressure, Hatch issues a letter
To Tim Russert that isn’t much better
Than his televised lies.
Hatch just barely denies
That his Lam claims belong in the shredder. [tags]Carol Lam, Orrin Hatch, Senator Hatch, Tim Russert, Televised Lies, Rachel Maddow, Smear Campaign, U.S. Attorney, San Diego, Justice Department, NBC’s Meet The Press, Prosecutorial Experience[/tags]
Posted in Carol Lam, Congress Humor, Corruption Humor, Justice Department, Law Satire, Media Satire, Orrin Hatch, Political Limericks, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, Senate Satire | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007
Kudos to Josh Marshall for his ongoing great coverage of the US Attorney purge scandal, including the involvement of Alberto Gonzales, Karl Rove, and the White House, in general.
Gonzo, Begone … And Take Your Pal Bush With You!
By Madeleine Begun Kane
It appears that the Bushies conspired
To ensure that some lawyers were fired,
Cause those lawyers refused
To let laws be abused.
In political crimes Bush is mired. [tags]Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General, Gonzo Gonzales, US Attorney Purge[/tags]
Posted in Corruption Humor, George Bush Satire, Justice Department, Law Satire, Political Limericks, Political Verse, Politics Satire, White House | 2 Comments »
Sunday, March 11th, 2007
Purges and Surges, Twin Scourges, Oh My!
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Dub’s prosecutorial purges
And unauthorized, bellicose surges
Have led me to think
(Though I’m far from a shrink)
What a sick way to deal with his urges! [tags]Iraq War, Prosecutor Purge, Attorney General, Bush Mental Health, Iraq Surge[/tags]
Posted in Foreign Policy, George Bush Satire, GOP Humor, Iraq War Humor, Law Satire, Political Limericks, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, White House | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, February 13th, 2007
I take a strange solace in Libby’s “awful memory” defense. Why? This limerick should explain it:
Why I’m Qualified To Be Dick Cheney’s Top Aide
By Madeleine Begun Kane
According to Libby’s defender,
His mem’ry’s a major offender:
It is creaky as hell
And it’s leaky, as well.
Mine too — I could be a contender. [tags]Lewis Libby, Libby Prosecution, Dick Cheney Aide, Libby Defense, Scooter Libby, Criminal Law Humor, Lawyer Humor, Memory, Leaks[/tags]
Posted in Dick Cheney Satire, GOP Humor, Law Satire, Libby Humor, Political Limericks, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, White House | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, November 8th, 2006
Needless to say, I’m very happy about Tuesday’s election results. And yet, I can’t resist the impulse to get just a little bit greedy:
Mad Kane Gets Greedy (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
I am blissful, contented, and happy.
The election results weren’t crappy.
But for pleasure inflated,
To make me elated,
Impeach Cheney/Bush. Make it snappy!
=========
And now some links, for your reading pleasure:
* Dems Sing ‘Our House Is A Very, Very, Very Blue House’
* Carnival of Satire
* Kicking Elephants and Taking Names
* Carnival of the Vanities
* Personal Growth Carnival
[tags]Election Humor, Impeachment Humor, Cheney/Bush Humor[/tags]
Posted in Dick Cheney Satire, Election Satire, George Bush Satire, GOP Humor, Law Satire, Political Limericks, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, White House | 3 Comments »
Sunday, November 5th, 2006
As SNL’s Churchlady used to say, “How con-veeeeeeee-ni-ent!” I’m referring, of course, to the Saddam Hussein death by hanging sentence, which just happened to be announced two days before Election Day. Uh-huh … right.
A Convenient Noose (Haiku)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Saddam’s death sentence.
Serendipitous? Hardly!
Leave no scheme behind. [tags]Saddam Hussein, Death Penalty, Death By Hanging, Election Day Humor, SNL’s Churchlady [/tags]
Posted in Election Satire, Foreign Policy, George Bush Satire, GOP Humor, Iraq War Humor, Karl Rove, Law Satire, News Haiku & Senryu, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, White House | 7 Comments »
Friday, October 20th, 2006
I have two funny books to recommend today. Let’s start with The Republican Playbook,
by the always entertaining Andy Borowitz. Somehow or another Borowitz got hold of Dubya’s personally annotated copy of the GOP Bible. (I’m betting pretzels were involved.) And, as Bush himself scribbles on the back cover:
Note to self: this book contains all our dirtiest tricks… If it ever gets out, we’re toast. Make sure it doesn’t fall out of pocket while on bike!
It’s a very amusing read!
And speaking of amusing reads, Anonymous Lawyer, by Jeremy Blachman, made me laugh out loud. You may already be familiar with Blachman’s blog of the same name. Well the book is even better, a satirical look at law firm life from the viewpoint of a fictional hiring partner at a large law firm in a major city. It reminded me why I don’t practice law anymore, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
[tags]Funny Books, Andy Borowitz, The Republican Playbook, Jeremy Blachman, Anonymous Lawyer, Books Reviews[/tags]
Posted in Books, George Bush Satire, Law Satire, White House | 2 Comments »
Saturday, September 30th, 2006
By now, you surely know that Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) has resigned in disgrace “amid reports that he had sent sexually explicit Internet messages to at least one underage male former page.” But did you also know that Foley “was credited with writing the sexual-predator provisions of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006?”
Such irony cries out for a limerick:
Foley’s Folly
By Madeleine Begun Kane
There once was a Congressman Foley,
Who acted all pious and holy.
Helping kids was his cause,
But he broke his own laws,
Sending sleaze through the net. Holy Moley!
(My political verse is collected here.)
[tags]Mark Foley, Congressman Foley, House Page Scandal, House Pages, Explicit Internet Messages, Florida Election, Ethics Committee[/tags]
Posted in Congress Humor, Election Satire, GOP Humor, House Satire, Law Satire, Mark Foley, Political Limericks, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor | Comments Off on Foley’s Folly
Friday, September 29th, 2006
The Constitution
Was cast aside by Congress.
Hideous corpus!
[tags]Constitutional Law, Habeas Corpus, Detainees, Terror Suspects, Torture, Interrogation Techniques[/tags]
Posted in Congress Humor, Constitution Humor, Democracy Humor, George Bush Satire, GOP Humor, House Satire, Iraq War Humor, Law Satire, Legislation Humor, News Haiku & Senryu, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, Senate Satire, Terrorism, Torture Humor, White House | 7 Comments »
Sunday, September 24th, 2006
Clarity in torture rules?
Bush must think we’re drooling fools.
What he really wants and needs
Are pardons for his lawless deeds.
(My political verse is collected here.)
[tags]Bush, Clarity, Humor, Geneva Conventions, Pardons, Poems, Poetry, Torture, Satire, White House [/tags]
Posted in Congress Humor, Constitution Humor, Democracy Humor, George Bush Satire, GOP Humor, Iraq War Humor, Law Satire, Legislation Humor, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Republicans Humor, Senate Satire, Terrorism | Comments Off on Bush Clouds Issue With “Clarity”
Sarah In Wonderland
Sunday, October 12th, 2008A bipartisan legislative panel in Alaska finds Sarah Palin guilty of abusing her executive power. So is Palin contrite? Hahahahaha!
Actually, I’m find it tough to get my head around Palin’s response. (Unlike so many Republicans, I’ve never been any good at holding two contradictory positions at the same time.)
Okay, I’m not positive, but here’s what seems to be the McCain campaign’s official response to the Troopergate ethics violation report:
1) It exonerates her; and
2) If it hadn’t been an Obama-controlled hit job, it would have exonerated her.
My head hurts.
Sarah In Wonderland
By Madeleine Begun Kane
So what is Gov. Palin’s excuse
For the finding of power abuse?
She pretends it ain’t there,
While she claims it ain’t fair,
With the facts playing games, fast and loose.
Tags: Abuse of Executive Power, Alaska Ethics Violation, Campaign Satire, Election Humor, Governor Palin, McCain Campaign, Presidential Election, Troopergate
Posted in Barack Obama, Campaign Humor, Election Satire, GOP Humor, John McCain, Law Satire, Legal Limericks, Political Commentary, Political Verse, Politics Satire, Sarah Palin | 1 Comment »