Saturday, January 07, 2006
The Falwell forecast on Alito
In this story from the Lynchburg paper, the Reverend Jerry Falwell predicts that the number of votes in the U.S. Senate in favor of the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court will be "in the high 50s or low 60s."
Monday, November 21, 2005
Jerry Falwell hoping for Protestant Knute Rockne
Explaining why he fired the football coach at Liberty University, Jerry Falwell here: "I don't have much time to get the football program in the Top 20."
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Falwell's sterling character denies him relief once again in the federal courts
Years ago, in the libel case brought by the Rev. Jerry Falwell against Larry Flynt over an ad parody in Hustler magazine, the jury found for the defendant, finding that "no reasonable man would believe that the parody was describing actual facts about Falwell." Falwell v. Flynt, 797 F.2d 1270, 1273 (4th Cir. 1986). The U.S. Supreme Court relied in part on this finding to overturn the verdict in favor of Falwell on his claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress. See Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, 485 U.S. 46, 56 (1988) ("We conclude that public figures and public officials may not recover for the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress by reason of publications such as the one here at issue without showing in addition that the publication contains a false statement of fact which was made with 'actual malice,' i.e., with knowledge that the statement was false or with reckless disregard as to whether or not it was true.")
Last week, in Lamparello v. Falwell, the Fourth Circuit in an opinion by Judge Motz, joined by Judges Michael and King, reversed the district court's entry of an injunction prohibiting the defendant from maintaining a "gripe website critical of Reverend Jerry Falwell." The Court concluded that there was no likelihood of confusion between Falwell's trade names and the defendant's "gripe website." The Court said: "After even a quick glance at the content of the website at www.fallwell.com, no one seeking Reverend Falwell’s guidance would be misled by the domain name — www.fallwell.com — into believing Reverend Falwell authorized the content of that website. No one would believe that Reverend Falwell sponsored a site criticizing himself, his positions, and his interpretations of the Bible."
So, I conclude from these two cases, under these cases based on the First Amendment, Rev. Falwell's protection from those who would say transparently bogus things about him is that no one would believe them, and he can obtain a judicial remedy against only those commentators with expression that has some verisimilitude (but is not quite true, as truth, presumably, might also defeat some kinds of claims).
Here are reports on the opinion from Anne Broache of CNET news.com, Eric Goldman, Paul Alan Levy, the AP, Brian Peterson, SC Appellate blog, Susan Crawford, and Warwick Rothnie, among the many to comment on this case which involves the intersection of intellectual property law with the underlying clash of views between Mr. Lamporello and Rev. Falwell over homosexuality - there's something in it for all variety of different blogs.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Might as well, since the law and politics thing did not work out
In this story about a Eastern Kentucky politician who was sentenced today in federal court, where the defendant explained what he has been doing lately while he waited for his case to get finished: "With his law license suspended, Hays said, he has been attending Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary, run by Jerry Falwell in Virginia."
Friday, July 15, 2005
Falwell says he's not recommending anyone for the Supreme Court
How Appealing links here to this article from the Lynchburg paper in which the Rev. Jerry Falwell says he's not making any recommendations to the White House about who should be named to the Supreme Court.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Two more summaries on the candidates for the Republican nomination for AG
This article by Christina Nuckols for the Norfolk paper about Steve Baril and Bob McDonnell is sort of a fair summary of the main points that have come across in the media during the campaign.
It does not mention some other things, like tort reform or where their money comes from, that might be of interest to some voters. This article by Tammie Smith in today's Richmond paper fills in some of that gap.
In this post, Barnie Day says that "Main Street Republicans" like Baril because, well, he is a Main Street lawyer, which I always thought was the main part of his appeal, although his campaign has not made it a point of emphasis in any way that I have noticed, preferring more populist themes. Strangely, Day points out that McDonnell is tied to Pat Robertson, without mentioning that Jerry Falwell was an early supporter of Baril.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Rev. Falwell double-dog dares Sen. Warner to defy him on filibuster vote
Via How Appealing, I see that the Lynchburg paper is reporting here ("Falwell lays down marker for Warner," 4/30/05) that SW Virginia's own Rev. Jerry Falwell is challenging Sen. John Warner to come across on the vote to limit filibusters on the President's judicial nominees.
Senator Warner, I suspect, is not going to run again and will do whatever he pleases.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Look, bloggers made Jerry Falwell's Thanksgiving prayer list
It says here that among other things for which Jerry Falwell is offering a prayer of Thanksgiving: "I thank God for the Internet bloggers."
Monday, September 27, 2004
Falwell gives law clinic for church leaders on how to politic from pulpit
The AP reports here that Jerry Falwell and his lawyer son and others gave a how-to session for ministers on where to draw the line when mixing religion and politics.
Friday, September 03, 2004
More on new Liberty Law School
Somebody sent me a link to this humor piece published by the ABA e-journal. Apparently, the idea that Jerry Falwell plans to turn out Christian lawyers to infiltrate the legal profession is viewed to be almost as funny as his pronouncement years ago that the Liberty football team would beat Notre Dame.
I believe that there are people - not most, and perhaps not even many - who go to law school, every law school, with the intention of changing the world, and a few of these highly-motivated people manage to pull it off, and when they make their mark, their law schools send out a press release bragging of the connection. Some of these people are conservatives and even Christians, and I won't be surprised if some Liberty graduates create some noticeable ripples in the flowing river of the law - and that this happens even before Liberty beats Oklahoma or even Notre Dame in football.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Can Liberty Law School be accredited?
Law.com has this article describing "questions" about whether the new law school at Liberty in Lynchburg can ever be accredited.
Since Regent is accredited, and Ave Maria is provisionally accredited, I'd have to say that this article is mainly full of anti-Christian nonsense, which is never hard to find, but probably the whole thing is part of the marketing plan cooked up by Rev. Falwell. I'm thinking maybe he called up Barry Lynn and said, hey, why don't you put out some outrageous quotes against my law school, and that will get us some publicity, and help with our admissions and fund-raising, and if you do, I'll treat you to a fried-chicken dinner after church the next time you come to see us down at the Thomas Road Baptist.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Catholics and Baptists unite at Liberty Law School, wherever that is
I enjoyed this Bainbridge post about Catholics (including the Dean) and Baptists (including Jerry Falwell) at the new Liberty law school, until I got to the part where he said it was in "southeast Virginia." No place called the "Hill City" and the "City of the Seven Hills" can be found over in the flatlands of Southeast Virginia.
I myself grew up going to the Abingdon Baptist Church (until we moved away) then was married (by a Jesuit priest) in Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Virginia Democrats on the new Jerry Falwell law school
From the Virginia Democrats' blog, this post laments the opening of the new law school at Liberty as likely to result in the further breakdown of the separation of Church and State.
Now, to me, there's something wrong in singling out for criticism the Southern Baptists and other Christians, when they engage in the naked pursuit (so to speak) of their agenda, as they are surely entitled to do, as much as anyone else. The Southern Baptists are not a threat to Our American Way of Life - anyone who has ever been to a Sunday School picnic knows that.
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Opening of the Liberty University School of Law
Jurist has this post with links about the opening next week of the new law school at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University in Lynchburg, including this AP report and the Dean's blog.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
More on the Falwell case
Here from Slashdot is a string of comments on the "Jerry Falwell" trademark beats fallwell.com case.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Website of gay rights activist held to infringe on the IP of Jerry Falwell
The AP reports here that Judge Hilton of the E.D. Va. has ruled that the domain name "fallwell.com" was too close to the registered trademark "Jerry Falwell" and was likely to confuse web surfers.
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Best law school in Michigan
Via Politics & Law, this story ("Hail Mary Passes - How to build a great law school," 12/2/03) from the National Review Online about the Ave Maria Law School in Michigan makes me think that this kind of success is what Dr. Pat Robertson had in mind for Regent and what the Rev. Jerry Falwell hopes to accomplish with the law school coming to Lynchburg, but neither of them ever owned Domino's Pizza (or the Detroit Red Wings).
Monday, December 01, 2003
Jerry Falwell endorses Steve Baril for Virginia AG in 2005
According to this report ("Baril picks up endorsement from Falwell," 11/29) from the Richmond paper, the minister of the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Jerry Falwell, has endorsed Steve Baril for Attorney General. Baril is a partner in the Williams Mullen firm and the son-in-law of the late former Governor John Dalton.
Saturday, June 21, 2003
Jerry Falwell's explanation of how he got back jerryfalwell.com
Jerry Falwell, the Baptist minister from Lynchburg, explains here the legal strategies he employed in an effort to wrest from one of his opponents the use of "jerryfalwell.com."
Thursday, June 19, 2003
SW VA's own Jerry Falwell gets rights to jerryfalwell.com without litigation
This press release describes how Jerry Falwell, the Baptist minister from Lynchburg, got the rights to jerryfalwell.com, without litigation.
1 comment:
VISION DRIVEN MAN
On May 16, 2007 I had been on a 16 hour flight from Bombay to JFK. On arrival I called home and my wife asked me if I seen the news? I asked her if it was the weather again and she said it was Dr. Falwell. The rest of the news was difficult and heartbreaking. It seemed like Lynchburg disappeared from the map. I wasn’t prepared for this news after a two week hectic mission’s trip to India. There are few men that I love and respect like my father. Dr. Falwell is one of those visionary leaders. He certainly has been an inspiration to me. I was deeply saddened by the passing of a great leader but it is a time of great rejoicing in heaven.
I wouldn’t have come to Lynchburg, VA if it weren’t for Dr. Jerry Falwell and his giant step of faith to start Liberty University. Mine is one of the thousands of lives Dr. Falwell has touched through his life. In 1995 I quit my secular job working in a New York City hospital and was waiting for God’s direction for our future in ministry. We received a letter from Dr. Falwell inviting us to move to Lynchburg, VA with a scholarship to join Liberty Bible Institute. For several days we prayed and debated over the issue of whether to leave or stay. It seemed strange how he got my name and address. Is there a catch behind this offer? We were a young couple with a one year old and expecting and had the desire to serve God. I had to wrestle with this issue. Finally the Lord gave my wife and I the peace to take a step of faith.
I believe that move made a significant difference in the mission’s ministry of Alpha Ministries and my life. The move helped me to understand the struggles my father faced while moving from south India to northern India as a pioneer missionary to north India. The move from New York to Lynchburg was nothing comparing to what my father faced but it taught me patience, perseverance, and prepared me to see a God sized growth. It all happened because of Dr. Falwell’s vision of Liberty University and the God given desire to teach the Word of God. That one letter of invitation not only brought us into his nook, it helped us to link with many new key friends and partners to make a global impact. In 1995 we had outreach in India but today it has gone beyond the borders into Nepal, Burma, Thailand and now Africa. My preparation field was Lynchburg.
I remember the first convocation at Liberty Vines center. Dr. Falwell challenged us to have a vision and be a champion for Christ. He was never afraid of speaking what is right. He had confidence in God that challenged students to take giant steps of faith. He showed to others what the God of the Bible is doing in his life. The realistic move of the Spirit of the Lord’s hand was visibly evident in his life and it made young men like me to take a leap of faith.
As a student with family and ministry responsibility I was struggling to make the ends meet. One story I often share was, “We had a old Dodge van that needed a lot of maintenance. It was not a reliable vehicle and we were concerned about traveling. Every morning on our local radio station they have “Perspective” a short message from people who spoke at the university. On this particular day that I was under great pressure. I had the radio on as we do in the morning at our home. I heard a message of Dr. Falwell sharing the story of Alexander the Great. How he was resting on an island with his army. During that time a man came to Alexander and asked him if he could have that Island. Alexander took a paper from his associate and signed the order that gave the island to that man. Alexander’s associates asked him how he could just give it away. They had fought and many of their comrades had died for that island. Why did you give that away? they asked. Alexander replied, “Because he made a request only a great man could fulfill.” Dr. Falwell concluded his message saying “Ask and ye shall receive.” I had a lot of needs and that message challenged me to ask and cry out to God.
That afternoon as I was heading to Lynchburg and I saw a good blue Chevy Suburban truck parked in font of a local roofing company on Route 29 with a “for sale” sign. I looked at it thought how good it would be for our family. I said in my heart, “Benny, you have not because you ask not.” I took the address of that roofing company and the owners name and I wrote a letter to the owner of that Chevy Suburban to give that truck to me. Weeks went by with no response to my letter. I prayed to God to work in the heart of the owner to give me that truck. One afternoon I called the roofing company owner and he said, Mr. Mathews I received your letter and I can give you a break on the price of the truck if you can give me a tax receipt from the ministry, but financially, I am not in position to totally donate that. However even after the great discount the price was not right for me and it was beyond my budget. This is one of the many examples how people believed in what Dr. Falwell shared. He walked the talk and lived up to it. Dr. Falwell was a mighty man of God with tremendous faith and vision which challenged and motivated people of all ages.
I have observed him for the last 11 years living in his neighborhood and people believed in him because he lived up to it. I have met him on two occasions and talked with him for a few minutes. But ever since the day the Lord brought me to Lynchburg I have never ceased praying for him and his ministry. Dr. Falwell’s great faith and vision has left an indelible mark upon my own life and ministry. He will be greatly missed, he will never be replaced and it will never be the same again. Our prayers go out to the Falwell family at this time of grief.
Benny C. Mathews
Alpha Ministries
Executive Director
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