Citizens United, a nonprofit group, arranged to show Peterson’s film via pay-per-view. It should have been broadcast, talked about and quickly forgotten. Instead, it’s been the most talked about 2-D movie of the year.

The Federal Election Commission decided that broadcasting the movie and commercials promoting the movie was illegal because the documentary was too close to being a campaign ad. It pretty clearly advocated the defeat of a specific candidate – that was the point.

Now, if Peterson was one of the rare people who is rich enough to make a movie with his own money, the broadcast would have been fine. But because he had to incorporate his money with other peoples’, his film was banned.

So, after some litigation, the Supreme Court ruled that the part of the McCain-Feingold Act that censored “Hillary: The Movie” was unconstitutional. The right to talk about political elections in public was upheld.

The reaction from people who didn’t like the movie has been outrage.

First, a clarification. President Barack Obama was either lying or misinformed (I’m not sure which would be worse) when he said the Supreme Court ruling allows “special interests – including foreign corporations – to spend without limit in our elections.”

The ruling explicitly upholds limits on campaign donations. The only thing that’s different is the ability of incorporated associations of people to create campaign ads and have them aired during election season.

Large corporations who wanted to advertise had already been forming political action committees to get around the law anyway. From a practical standpoint, the ruling simply makes it easier for small non-profit and for-profit groups to weigh in on elections.

Many critics have tried to turn this into a debate over corporate personhood. Corporate personhood is a topic for interesting and important discussion, but completely irrelevant when it comes to the First Amendment.

Artificial intelligence has come pretty far in the year 2010, but it’s still people who are coming up with the ideas, writing the scripts, shooting the footage, editing the video and telling the stories. Even if it weren’t, free speech is free speech, regardless of who or what the speaker is. If my non-person barstool magically came to life and began to orate about the national debt, I would have the First Amendment right to hear that speech and to watch it on television.

Justice Scalia makes my point more eloquently in his concurring opinion:

“The Amendment is written in terms of ‘speech,’ not speakers. Its text offers no foothold for excluding any category of speaker, from single individuals to partnerships of individuals, to unincorporated associations of individuals, to incorporated associations of individuals.”

Backers of the campaign finance laws worry that this ruling will allow large, wealthy corporations to flood our televisions with their speech, drowning out that of poorer groups and individuals. I doubt many companies will want to risk offending consumers with political ads, but it’s a legitimate concern. Washington is already being bought and sold enough.

But we’re left with the classic problem the First Amendment creates for legislators. There’s simply no way to stop the “bad guys” from speaking without stopping the “good guys” from speaking as well. The same law that prevented ExxonMobile from running campaign ads also prevented the ACLU from running one. If this law had been upheld, it could have been considered constitutional for Congress to bar Random House (a corporation) from publishing politically charged books during election season. Or, because all Internet service providers are incorporated, Congress conceivably could have been able to censor your Facebook notes and your tweets if it wanted to.

There’s still hope to develop sound, constitutional campaign finance reform. But we need reform that results in more speech, not less.

Originally published by The Arkansas Traveler

All UATV viewers are eligible to vote for the Best Picture – Drama, Best Picture – Comedy, Best Picture – Animated, Best Picture – Musical, Best Picture – Action, Best Picture – Romance, Best Picture – Horror, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Catchphrase. A full list of nominees is attached to this release. Voting will conclude on March 3rd, and the tallies will be kept secret until the awards ceremony airs on Monday, March 8th at 8:00 pm.

“Avatar,” “The Hangover” and “Inglourious Basterds” are up for the most awards, with four each. Avatar received nominations for Best Picture – Drama, Best Picture – Animated, Best Picture – Action and Best Catchphrase. The Hangover received nominations for Best Picture – Comedy, two Best Catchphrase nominations and a nomination for Best Actor for Zach Galifinakis. Inglourious Basterds is up for Best Picture – Drama, Best Picture – Action, Best Catchphrase and a Best Actor award for Christoph Waltz.

Last year voters awarded “The Dark Knight” four Silver Reels, breaking the record of 3 “Juno” set in 2008.

Vote soon and don’t miss your chance to weigh in on the results!

Complete List of Nominees

Best Picture – Drama
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Moon
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Up in the Air

Best Picture – Comedy
(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It’s Complicated
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up
Zombieland

Best Picture – Animated
Avatar
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
Up

Best Picture – Musical
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Fame
Hannah Montana The Movie
Michael Jackson’s This Is It
Nine
The Princess and the Frog

Best Picture – Action
2012
Avatar
District 9
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Best Picture – Romance
(500) Days of Summer
Adventureland
Duplicity
Julie & Julia
I Love You, Man
The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Best Picture – Horror
Drag Me to Hell
Friday the 13th
The Haunting in Connecticut
Pandorum
Paranormal Activity
Zombieland

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges as ‘Bad Blake’ in Crazy Heart
George Clooney as ‘Ryan Bingham’ in Up in the Air
Matt Damon as ‘Mark Whitacre’ in The Informant!
Zach Galifinakis as ‘Alan Garner’ in The Hangover
Sam Rockwell as ‘Sam Bell’ in Moon
Christoph Waltz as ‘SS Colonel Hans Landa’ in Inglourious Basterds

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock as ‘Leigh Anne Tuohy’ in The Blind Side
Anna Kendrick as ‘Natalie Keener’ in Up in the Air
Mo’Nique as ‘Mary Lee Johnston’ in Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire
Carey Mulligan as ‘Jenny Miller’ in An Education
Meryl Streep as ‘Julia Child’ in Julie & Julia
Gabby Sidibe as ‘Claireece Precious Jones’ in Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire

Best Catchphrase
“He was a re-tard.” – The Hangover
“I didn’t know they gave out rings at the Holocaust.” – The Hangover
“I see you.” – Avatar
“Slappin’ da bass.” – I Love you, Man
“What do you think? Zombie Kill of the Week?” – Zombieland
“You probably heard we ain’t in the prisoner-takin’ business, we in the killin’ Nazi business. And cousin, business in a-boomin’.” – Inglourious Basterds

Ice Storm II may be cold, but unlike most Hollywood sequels, this one isn’t as bad as the original.

Some differences:

Last year my apartment lost power and I spent the week sleeping in the UATV studio on an air mattress. I had to drive a mile to find a shower I could use.

This year, I’ve spent the past 24 hours in my home, watching BBC Shakespeare on Netflix Streaming and putting together clips for Razorback Reels. I even have work tonight.

Last year, UATV canceled its regular programming and relied on weather cut-ins.

This year, we’re still doing weather cut-ins, but AM Arkansas went live Friday at 7 am, right on schedule. We’ve also been breaking news updates via our twitter account. We were the first news outlet in the world to break the story of UA’s class cancellation, beating The Traveler’s twitter by about 30 seconds.

Last year, I described the city as an “icy, Martian landscape. Fayetteville certainly looked like it was in a Roland Emmerich flick. I braced myself, half-expecting to see bread riots at Wal-Mart or maybe even a family of refugees forced to cannibalize each other to survive.”

This year, all the trees that would fall down are already dead, and the roads are comparatively safer.

The only bad part about this year’s storm is its lack of photogenicness. There aren’t really any pictures I can take this year that I couldn’t last year; but there were plenty last year of downed power lines and crushed houses that I can’t take now.

Originally published at UATV

UA students were challenged to raise $50,000 to support Haitians affected by the devastating earthquake that struck the country earlier this month.

Hogs for Haiti was organized tonight as a registered student organization. Hogs for Haiti officers will track donations made by various student groups to charities that are assisting in Haiti.

Greek organizations and other RSOs are conducting independent campaigns to raise money for the American Red Cross, WorldVision and Direct Relief International.

The SEC has set a goal of $500,000 in donations for its member schools combined. The University of Georgia raised $34,000 through t-shirt sales and Mississippi State held a benefit concert, Mattie Bookhout, UA Associated Student Government President told students tonight.

“If nothing else, I want to beat Florida,” said Bookhout.

The Greek Life and Red Cross Student Association Ribbon Campaign is selling ribbons in the Union Connections Lounge this week for $1 to raise money for the American Red Cross. Hogs for Haiti is ordering t-shirts to sell online and on campus next week.

The Hogs for Haiti Facebook group can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=272664723188

Registered Student Organizations which wish to raise money for charities must fill out a fund-raising form with the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement.

Originally published by The Arkansas Traveler

The following voters’ guide will allow students to quickly and simply compare candidates in both of the colleges with contested elections.

The platform summary is a very brief synopsis of the information provided by the candidate on the ASG application form. It includes only the specific policy changes the candidate proposed on that form.

This guide is not intended as a replacement for a voter’s own research.
Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences (3 seats available):

CANDIDATE	PLATFORM SUMMARY	STUDENT GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE
Alex Benson	Give out information on activities and organizations so students feel included.	none
Kelly Lamb	Improve communication between students, faculty and staff.	FreshHOGS
Lauren Leatherby	Represent student interests.	none
Christian Reinisch	Represent student interests.	none
Ashley Shelton	Work to reduce textbook prices and make campus cleaner and safer; keep campus technology accessible and up-to-date.	FreshHOGS, Tech Fee Review Board, HPER Advisory Committee

Walton College of Business (2 seats available):

CANDIDATE	PLATFORM	STUDENT GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE
Talesha Christian	Bring diverse ideas to the senate.	FreshHOGS
Graham Landrith	Improve campus parking policies.	none
Joseph Van Matre	Bring tuition increases and parking issues to administration’s attention.	RIC Senate, Pomfret Hall Senate
Natalie Van Pelt	Represent student interests.	none
Sam White	Represent student interests.	none

Originally published at The Arkansas Traveler

Some other facts to put things in perspective:

• James Cameron directed both Titanic and Avatar. The only other director to make multiple worldwide record holders is Steven Spielberg. (Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park)
• Avatar is still about $40 million behind Titanic in the domestic box office race. (Domestic is U.S. and Canada combined)
• Avatar has sold 76, 124, 100 tickets, domestically.
• It is the best-selling movie since The Phantom Menace. (domestic)
• Avatar is the 26th best-selling movie of all time, just ahead of Thunderball and just behind Grease. (domestic)

(numbers compiled by BoxOfficeMojo.com)

Originally published at UATV

The Bush Administration held suspected Al-Qaeda members as unlawful combatants. It initially claimed that the president could legally imprison anyone in the world – U.S. citizen or not – and do whatever he wanted to them for as long as he saw fit without telling anyone why or even who was being detained.

Rulings by the Supreme Court haven’t changed much. It found that the U.S. can’t torture prisoners regardless of their status. Guantanamo Bay prisoners get tribunals to determine whether they are enemy combatants or not, and they can file appeals if they have poorly run trials.

Of course, this only applies to Guantanamo Bay. The government doesn’t have to provide evidence about people held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Last year, a court ruled that some inmates get to appeal their detention, but it wrote the ruling so it only applied to three specific people. Those that have been released from Bagram say they were never even told why they were imprisoned for years – and still don’t know.

Many of them are reported to be insurgent fighters captured on the battlefield. However, not all of them were. Dozens were captured outside Afghanistan in civilian settings and transported to Bagram. Currently, the only way the United States would be compelled to released them is if Osama bin Laden signed a formal peace treaty.

In 2004, the CIA kidnapped a German whose name was one letter different from that of a suspected terrorist. They flew him to a secret interrogation center, and imprisoned him for months, even after learning he was innocent. They dropped him off Albania, leaving him in the road without money or a change of clothes. His family had already moved, thinking he abandoned them. He filed a lawsuit, but the courts ruled they couldn’t hear the case because the secret prisons were secret and couldn’t be talked about in court.

The Obama Administration is changing nothing of this.

Obama is making cosmetic changes. Terrorist suspects are now known as “unprivileged enemy belligerents.” He ordered the closure of the secret CIA prisons, but human rights groups note that dozens of “ghost detainees,” like the unfortunate German, remain missing. He released a list of 645 prisoners at Bagram, but has appealed the court decision to allow some of them habeas corpus.

And, most famously, he is trying some high-profile terror suspects in civilian court.

George W. Bush used the exact same strategy. He gave José Padilla and Zacarias Moussaoui civilian trials to, as Rudy Giuliani said, “demonstrate that we can give people a fair trial, that we are exactly what we say we are.” (Giuliani changed his mind about this issue on Inauguration Day, 2009)

Likewise, Obama is putting Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on trial in the United States. This way, he can look like he defends civil liberties, but doesn’t have to actually give up any power.

Attorney General Eric Holder explained to Congress in November that even if a Guantanamo inmate is found not guilty in a court of law, the administration plans to imprison him anyway. Those with sentences Holder considers “short” can still be held as enemy combatants after they serve their time.

Both Holder and Solicitor General Elena Kagan showed just how far the Obama Administration stretches the definitions of combatant during their appointment hearings in February. They both agreed that if they suspect someone is sending money to Al-Qaeda, that suspect is “part of the battlefield.”

To summarize, if the U.S. government thinks you support Al-Qaeda, it can legally seize you and imprison for the rest of your life, without ever telling you or anyone else of their suspicions.

Now, I don’t think averages American should be worried about black helicopters swooping down an abducting them in the middle of the night. Obama and Bush made mistakes, but they’re not malicious. What worries me is that there’s a gap in international and national law that has created an “Al-Qaeda exception” to basic human rights.

We all want to develop a system that protect us from real terrorists while allowing innocent people to remain free. Obama’s show trials are designed to distract us – and the world – from his failure to create that system.

Originally published in The Arkansas Traveler

Ten films in each category have been shortlisted.  The Silver Reels Nominating Panel will select the nominees.  The nominees will be announced on February 1st.

Then, UATV viewers will have one month to cast their ballots online at the UATV website.  The winners will be announced on a special episode on Razorback Reels on March 8.

Be sure to tune into Razorback Reels tonight and every Monday night at 8pm on UATV.

Originally published at UATVOnline.net

What’s biting Jon Cox this week?  The font used on Senior Walk.