Europe moves to stifle free speech on the internet.

According to the ABA Journal Law Blog (quoting the WSJ), Europe has moved to ban so-called

flogs (fake blogs), AstroTurf (alleged grass-roots campaigns run by corporations) and lobbying campaigns featuring sock puppets (individuals who post under numerous aliases)

Is this such a rampant problem that European legislators have nothing better to do than prohibit this?  And how criminal of an activity is this that prison time is a possibility for violating this “law.”  What’s next?  Prison time for James Frey and Margaret B. Jones?

This would never abide here.  Or would it?

Another Parasitic Collection Agency Misusing the Word “Mediation.”

My daily Google Blog roundup email included a post entitled “Mediation, Not Confrontation.” Apparently, this is the slogan of Progressive Financial Services, a collection agency that has been harassing the blog author for several years (despite his insistence that he is not the person for whom they are looking).

A visit to the home page of these bottom feeders reveals that their “motto” is, indeed, “Mediation, Not Confrontation.” According to PFS,

Our collection motto of Mediation, not Confrontation enables PFS to liquidate our clients receivables and still protect the relationship our clients have with their customers.

That’s right. How could I have forgotten that calling people three or four times a day and threatening them with lawsuits and wage garnishment was page one out of the Mediator’s Handbook.

18 Year Old Passes Bar; This Blogger Feels Old.

The WSJ Law Blog reports that 18 year old Kathleen Holtz passed the California bar exam on her first attempt (a feat not accomplished by the former Dean of Stanford Law!). This prodigy entered college at 10, UCLA Law at 15 and got a spot on the Law Review, and this past month she rode shotgun on a two week trial.

I feel old.

Vick Surrenders; Starts Serving Sentence Before Being Sentenced.

In a tacit acknowledgment that he is going to jail for a considerable time, Michael Vick surrendered to Virginia authorities yesterday a full 20 days before his sentencing hearing. While his lawyer, Billy Martin, portrayed this move as demonstrating Vick’s acceptance of his fate, it was likely motivated by some mental calculation of when his possible sentence might end – say, summer 2009; just in time for 2009 training camp. It is also undoubtedly an attempt to show some level of contrition to the judge in the hopes of a lighter sentence, the same way his PETA “sensitivity training” was. The fact that someone in his team of advisors believes that the Court, a former prosecutor and U.S. Attorney, will be swayed by this meaningless gesture really is astounding.