Witnesses Against Kagan Include Head Of Conspiracy-Mad Law Firm

One has to wonder what the Hell the GOP is trying to do in terms of some of the utter loonies that have been called as opposition witnesses against Elana Kagan's nomination to the U. S. Supreme Court. I have commented before on Klan loving Tony Perkins' testimony against Kagan. Another utter crazy is William J. Olson, Esq. (pictured at left) of William J. Olson, P.C. -- a law firm that is heavily involved in all sorts of conservative cause celebres, from the standard-issue, to the totally bonkers - and which includes Herbert Titus, the founding dean of Pat Robertson's Regent Law School and father of Troy A. Titus, a Regent Law graduate, just sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for real estate and wire fraud. Huffington Post looks at the insanity of this GOP witnesses insanity. Here are some highlights:
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Of particular interest is one witness who will be testifying against Kagan, William J. Olson, Esq. of William J. Olson, P.C. -- a law firm that is heavily involved in all sorts of conservative cause celebres, from the standard-issue, to the totally bonkers.
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Olson's lent his services to a pair of high-profile cases in the past year. His firm has filed amicus briefs in the Citizens United case as well as the recently decided Supreme Court case that overturned Chicago's gun ban. Olson's firm has also taken up the quixotic Tea Party cause to recall New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez. From there, however, things take a turn for the outlandish. Highlights include:
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The Search For Fort Knox Gold! An organization called the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee (GATA) is worried that the U.S. Government has been secretly flooding the market with gold from Fort Knox in order to keep it's value low. Well, Olson's firm has taken up the cause:
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Jesus Will Cure Your Cancer With Food Supplements! Olson's co-counsel, John S. Miles, took up the cause of Daniel Chapter One, a Christian Ministry that ran afoul of the FTC for running advertisements for miracle cancer cures "with Web headlines like 'Brain Tumor Gone!' and on a two-hour weekday Internet radio program filled with virulent attacks on contemporary medicine." In response to the appeal, FTC lawyer Elizabeth K, Nach said the First Amendment does not apply to commercial speech that is deceptive.
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You Just Knew There Would Be Some Birther Junk Up In The Mix! Another one of Olson's co-counsel's, Herb Titus, shows up on this article on the birther-mad website WorldNetDaily: A one-time vice presidential candidate who is considered an expert on the U.S. Constitution says it is up the electors from the 50 states to make certain President-elect Barack Obama is a natural-born U.S. citizen before they cast votes for him in the Electoral College Dec. 15.
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"If they do their duty, they would make sure that if they cast a vote for Mr. Obama, that Mr. Obama is a natural-born citizen," Herb Titus, the Constitution Party's running mate to Howard Phillips in 1996, told WND today.
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As a former Republican from a family of Republicans, I can only wonder what's in the water that these members of the GOP are drinking? Or does one now need to be certifiably insane to be a modern day Republican? Oh, and for the record, I have serious doubts about Kagan and I assisted the FBI in Troy Titus' prosecution.

Another Regent Law School Graduate in the News

In the past I have posted about some of Regent University Law School’s less than illustrious graduates, including Monica Goodling in connection with the Justice Department’s firing of U. S. Attorneys. Now locally, another Regent Law graduate, Troy Titus, is getting justified publicity. Sadly, it is long overdue and had the Virginia State Bar and FBI acted sooner, a number of victims might never have been swindled out of their money. Troy Titus, son of the former dean of Regent Law School could be most charming and always wore his religion on his sleeve - most likely to reel in the trusting and unwary. Of the many attorneys I have know and done transactions with over the past 30 years, it is ironic that the ones, in my opinion, who are the most unethical and dishonest are all graduates of Regent Law School. In my opinion, they are modern day snake oil merchants and are anything but true Christians. When an attorney starts talking about religion while seeking to provide legal consultation, my advice is hold on to your wallet and run!! Here are some highlights of this Regent Law graduate put his legal training into action (http://hamptonroads.com/2008/02/titus-touch-fbi-investigating-popular-lawyer-and-asset-protection-guru):

VIRGINIA BEACH - Josephine Bodmer is 84 years old and broke. A lawyer took all of her savings. She remembers the man vividly. His name is Troy A. Titus - a handsome, charismatic, young man. Good Christian family. His father was dean of the Regent University School of Law.
He seemed smart, trustworthy. Bodmer gave him $220,000 to put into a trust fund so she could live off the $1,500-a-month annuity. For a while, the checks arrived every month, then they started arriving late. Finally, they stopped altogether. She never got her money back. Today, Bodmer lives in an assisted living apartment and depends on her children for day-to-day expenses. She is deeply embarrassed. "He took every cent I had," she said. "He destroyed me."

Tallying up the court claims, clients of Titus say they lost somewhere between $2 million and $3 million. Other clients and investors interviewed said they gave Titus money and never sued to get it back because they didn't think they could recover their money. The Virginia State Bar revoked Titus' license for "ethical misconduct" - bouncing checks on his client trust accounts. And not just a few checks: At one point in 2004, Titus' real estate trust account was $2.5 million in the hole, according to the bar.

For several years before he surrendered his law license, Titus traveled the country giving lectures and selling DVDs, telling people how to shelter money from the taxman and courts. In one taped lecture, Titus told his audience, hypothetically, "I want to have my cake and eat it, too. I want to keep all of my assets but not have to lose them in the event that a judgment does come against me." Bodmer still doesn't understand how such a nice man could have taken her savings. "If you met him," she said, "you'd be impressed. He had so much charisma, and he was so charming. I loved him." In a videotaped lecture, Titus exudes confidence. He is dressed in a dark business suit and appears younger than his 41 years. He talks smoothly, reassuringly, without hesitations. Half a dozen former clients and investors interviewed for this story used the same word to describe him: charming.