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Main Entry: ar·bi·ter
Pronunciation: \ˈär-bə-tər\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English arbitre, from Anglo-French, from Latin arbitr-, arbiter
Date: 14th century
1 : a person with power to decide a dispute : judge

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Some of you may recall my post on Cass Sunstein, from 28 April, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes here wherein I identified Cass Sunstein as one of Obama's larger "killer tomatoes." At the time we were talking about his proposal to impose a "Fairness Doctrine" on the Internet.

Barack Obama's nominee for "regulatory czar" has advocated a "Fairness Doctrine" for the Internet that would require opposing opinions be linked and also has suggested angry e-mails should be prevented from being sent by technology that would require a 24-hour cooling off period.

The revelations about Cass Sunstein, Obama's friend from the University of Chicago Law School and nominee to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, come in a new book by Brad O'Leary, "Shut Up, America! The End of Free Speech." OIRA will oversee regulation throughout the U.S. government.

Sunstein also has argued in his prolific literary works that the Internet is anti-democratic because of the way users can filter out information of their own choosing.

"A system of limitless individual choices, with respect to communications, is not necessarily in the interest of citizenship and self-government," he wrote. "Democratic efforts to reduce the resulting problems ought not be rejected in freedom's name."

[Image] Cass Sunstein, Killer Tomato.

We also talked about his proposal to ban hunting and give animals legal rights. Now GOA has just issued an e-mail alert on the killer commie vegetable (a "killer tomato" is red on the outside and red on the inside, that is, red through and through). Here it is, in large part:

Just when you thought the news about the Obama administration couldn't get any worse, gun owners find themselves needing to rally the troops once again.

This time it's the proposed "Regulatory Czar" who will be coming to a vote this week in the U.S. Senate.

His name is Cass Sunstein, and he holds some of the kookiest views you will ever hear.

For starters, Sunstein believes in regulating hunting out of existence. He told a Harvard audience in 2007 that "we ought to ban hunting." And in The Rights of Animals: A Very Short Primer (2002), he said:

I think we should go further ... the law should impose further regulation on hunting, scientific experiments, entertainment, and (above all) farming to ensure against unnecessary animal suffering. It is easy to imagine a set of initiatives that would do a great deal here, and indeed European nations have moved in just this direction. There are many possibilities. (Italics are his emphasis.)

If that's all Sunstein believed, he would be dangerous and extreme, but not necessarily kooky. Unfortunately, when you look at WHY he wants to restrict hunting, this is where he goes beyond extreme.

In Sunstein's world, animals should have just as many rights as people ... and they should be able to sue humans in court!

"We could even grant animals a right to bring suit without insisting that animals are persons, or that they are not property," Sunstein said on page 11 of Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions (2004).

Well, that's a relief ... he is at least willing to concede that animals are not persons! But he would still have animals suing humans, apparently, with more enlightened humans representing the cuddly critters.

Imagine returning from a successful hunting trip ... only to find out that you've been subpoenaed for killing your prize. Who knows, maybe Sunstein would have the family of the dead animal serving as witnesses in court!

By the way, if you're wondering what he thinks about the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, you won't be surprised to know that Sunstein is a huge supporter of gun control.

In Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing Courts are Wrong for America (2005), Sunstein says:

Almost all gun control legislation is constitutionally fine.... [O]n the Constitution's text, fundamentalists [that is, gun rights supporters] should not be so confident in their enthusiasm for invalidating gun control legislation.

Hmm, what part of "shall not be infringed" does Sunstein not understand?

Imagine the power that Sunstein could have as the Regulatory Czar -- the nickname for the person heading the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the White House.

As the Regulatory Czar, he could bring about changes in the regulations that affect hunting, gun control and farming. In short, he could make your life hell.

Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) objected to his nomination several weeks ago, preventing him from being unanimously confirmed.

That means that the Senate will now need to garner 60 votes to confirm this radical, kooky choice to the OIRA.

No doubt, many of the people our President wants to associate with are radical kooks. First, there was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright ... then there was the self-avowed communist (Van Jones) who was nominated for the Green Jobs Czar ... now, there's an extreme animal rights activist who wants to take away our guns and get Bambi to sue us in court.

It's time to take a STRONG STAND against this radical administration.

ACTION: Please contact your Senators right away and urge them to vote AGAINST the Cass Sunstein nomination. You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your legislators the pre-written e-mail message below.

Please do as GOA requests. It's fer darn sure the NRA won't do anything. Ironic ain't it? We always told them that hunters and prags (who were trying to throw us "hard core evil black rifle" folks under the bus) were going to be next. Heck, it looks now as maybe they'll be first. How about it now, General Snowflake? Have you found your "line in the sand" yet?

But one thing is sure, Obama will find something for Sunstein to do, even if it is the next Supreme Court justice. Check this out.

[Image] Ironic, ain't it?

This is a blog that keeps track of "celebrity lawyers."

[Image] And they were all a-twitter about this back on Valentine's Day.

ATL World Exclusive: Paparazzi Photos of Cass Sunstein and Samantha Power!

Friday, February 27, 2009 12:17 PM - By David Lat

The world is obsessed with celebrity professors Cass Sunstein and Samantha Power, who recently left the ivory tower to take high-ranking positions in the Obama Administration. He might someday sit on the Supreme Court; she's a winner of the Pulitzer Prize; and together, as we previously reported (see the update), they're creating the World's Smartest Baby.

How many HLS grads turned Harvard professors get named Fun Couple of the 21st Century by Esquire? . . .

Check out paparazzi pics of the Power couple, after the jump. How did Percy Thrillington come across these shots?

A few months ago, during the first week of school, I noticed Sunstein and Powers in the parking lot, taking some stuff out of their car (I think moving it into Sunstein's office). Having followed your blog's coverage of this ultimate legal power couple, and having a camera handy, I inconspicuously took a few snapshots.

Maybe a little stalker-ish. But they were in public, and it's a free country, right?

Indeed. You don't need to be a Fourth Amendment expert to know that nobody has a reasonable expectation of privacy in a parking lot. Especially not legal celebrities like Cass 'n Sam.

To see the photos, spin through the slideshow below. As you'll see, there were no bodyguards in sight. The good professors were carrying their own things, unaided by an entourage -- or even a gaggle of research assistants.

Legal academic celebrities: they're just like us!

So, even if he is unable to be "Czar," maybe he can be a Supreme. What a great idea! After all, he's "just like us!"

[Image] Michael Collins asks, "What does he eat for breakfast?"