The Conservative Sage

The August 2014 shooting death of unarmed black teen Mike Brown in St. Louis by a white police officer and the subsequent decision by the grand jury not to indict has brought unrest to American Streets. The protestors feel that police are shooting and killing mostly unarmed black men at alarming rates. Many also believe that police interaction amongst white's is all together different due to the benefits of "white privilege". "If that had of been a white man..." is a common refrain from blacks when speaking of a negative experience with a white police officer. The media plays an integral role in these perceptions by continuously assaulting us with images of black victims and white perpetrators. In light of the Brown incident and other controversial shootings this year, the adjective attached to these perceived victims is "unarmed". The term is a staple in the lexicon of the American media which h...

The financial crisis of 2008 continues to have a devastating effect on the lives of many Americans. However that same crisis has been a blessing for many others- namely lawyers. With each new round of Eric Holder justice department fines and penalties against banks for their role on the crisis, a few New York law firms are reaping billions in Fees. J.P Morgan Chase, which has by far paid the largest penalties, has set aside approximately $23 billion in legal reserves to settle claims and expenses. High powered firms like Sullivan & Cromwell, Paul, Weiss, Rifkin, Garrison; and Wilmer Hale represent JP Morgan. Other large banks such as Citi, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo have ponied up an additional $50 billion in fines to the feds. To date, the largest banks have forked over $128 billion in fees and counting. So far the largest chunk paid out by bank of America. No doubt that their lawyers are also enjoying a windfall....

On the heels of last week decision by the grand jury in Ferguson not to indict officer Darren Wilson for the shooting of black 18 year old Michael Brown, the country is once again in a state of unrest. A New York grand jury also failed to indict a police officer in the death of a black man. Last August, Eric Garner 43, died due to a police choke hold while they attempted to arrest him for allegedly selling black market cigarettes. The coroner determined the cause of death as a homicide. The officer who administered the choke hold, which is against NYPD policy, officer Daniel Pantaleo was immediately relieved of his gun and badge-essentially ending his career. Protesters immediately gathered in New York and other cities with the typical chants no justice, no peace. Although it is my personal view that the death of Mr. Garner was indeed a tragedy that should not have occurred and it also should have gone to trial. These incidents, are compounde...