Few people would mourn the passing of radical U.S. cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi. However, his reported death from a U.S. air strike raises the long-standing question over President Obama’s insistence that he can unilaterally label a citizen as a terrorist and order his killing. It is one of the policies (of many) that Obama continued from his predecessor, George W. Bush, and was one of the subjects of my column yesterday in the Los Angeles Times.
Archive for September, 2011
Did Obama Just Assassinate A U.S. Citizen? Aulaqi Killing Raises Questions Over Presidential Powers
Published 1, September 30, 2011 Constitutional Law , International , Military , Politics , Society 112 CommentsTexas Sheriff Sends Transgender Porn To Political Opponent By Mistake
Published 1, September 30, 2011 Bizarre , Politics , Society 7 Comments
Awkward. Primera (Texas) Police Chief Joe Rodriguez recently sent his opponent for the office of constable, Robert Lopez, text that contained transgender porn. Oops.
Continue reading ‘Texas Sheriff Sends Transgender Porn To Political Opponent By Mistake’
Laying Hands Upon The Faithful (and Available): Study Finds 80 Percent of Unmarried Evangelical Young Adults Have Pre-Marital Sex
Published 1, September 30, 2011 Academics , Politics , Religion , Society 59 Comments
A new study from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy has identified an area of young adults who have been overlooked by prior campaigns: young evangelicals. The study found 80 percent of unmarried evangelical young adults have had sex. That is virtually the same (8 percent below) the national average. With a campaign infused with religiosity this year and all of the talk of “real America” versus urban America, the study challenges stereotypes.
Continue reading ‘Laying Hands Upon The Faithful (and Available): Study Finds 80 Percent of Unmarried Evangelical Young Adults Have Pre-Marital Sex’
The Bear Necessities of Murder: New York Man Planned Murder of Ex-Girlfriend While Wearing Bear Pelt
Published 1, September 30, 2011 Animals , Bizarre , Criminal law 15 Comments
In New York, Clyde Gardner, 57, hatched a unique plan to kill his ex-girlfriend that involved skinning a bear, hiding among garbage cans, and walking on all fours. After the plan proved a bit too complex, he returned to that old favorite: the car crash. It all ended without an injury when Gardner was accused by the would-be hit man. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced this week.
Georgia Woman Reportedly Detained For Taking Photo Of Ground Zero
Published 1, September 29, 2011 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Criminal law , Free Speech , Media , Politics , Society 21 Comments
Earlier today, I posted another case out of Illinois where an officer arrested a citizen for recording him in public — only to have the charges later dropped without any disciplining of the officer. Now in New York city we have another alleged case where an officer detains a citizen over public videotaping — not of him, mind you, but of ground zero. Meredith Dodson of Georgia says that Officer Mark DeSimone not only detained her but became threatening with her and other citizens who objected to his arbitrary action over her taking a photo of the famous site.
Continue reading ‘Georgia Woman Reportedly Detained For Taking Photo Of Ground Zero’
Pakistani Religious Elders Order The Killing of Teenage Rape Victim For Losing Her Virginity Before Marriage
Published 1, September 29, 2011 Criminal law , Politics , Religion 59 Comments
A family in Pakistan is living in poverty and avoiding neighbors calling for their deaths. Their offense? The oldest daughter was raped and the family did not kill her as demanded as a matter of honor. Unlike hundreds of such girls killed in honor killings each year, Kainat Soomro, 17, is being supported by her family and refuses to back down in demanding justice for her kidnapping and gang rape.
Continue reading ‘Pakistani Religious Elders Order The Killing of Teenage Rape Victim For Losing Her Virginity Before Marriage’
Police Arrest Illinois Man For Videotaping Traffic Stop
Published 1, September 29, 2011 Constitutional Law , Criminal law , Free Speech , Media , Politics 20 Comments
We have yet another person arrested for recording a police officer in public. Louis Frobe felt he was wrongly stopped for speeding and decided to use his phone to videotape and record the stop and its surroundings. When he held the phone outside of the window to videotape the surrounding area, the officer proceeded to arrest him and charge him with a felony in Illinois. The arresting officer is identified in a lawsuit as Ralph H. Goar of the Village of Lindenhurst.
Continue reading ‘Police Arrest Illinois Man For Videotaping Traffic Stop’
Saudi King Revokes Flogging Punishment For Female Driver
Published 1, September 29, 2011 Constitutional Law , International 6 Comments
Saudi King Abdullah has again taken a step toward modernity. Yesterday, he revoked a sentence of 10 lashes imposed on a woman who drove a car. This follows his earlier decision to allow women to vote. The problem is that there is no law criminalizing driving by women. It is a religious edict which continues to apply to citizens with the same force of the law.
Continue reading ‘Saudi King Revokes Flogging Punishment For Female Driver’
Obama and the Decline of the American Civil Liberties Movement
Published 1, September 29, 2011 Columns , Congress , Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , International , Media , Politics , Society 200 Comments
Below is today’s column in The Los Angeles Times on the record of Barack Obama on civil liberties and his impact on the civil liberties movement in the United States.
Continue reading ‘Obama and the Decline of the American Civil Liberties Movement’
Does Al Qaeda Have A Case For Defamation Against Ahmadinejad?
Published 1, September 28, 2011 Bizarre , Media , Society , Torts 8 Comments
When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed doubt over the official account of the 911 attacks and accused the U.S. government, he has been condemned by other leaders and countries. However, it turns out that the most aggrieved party may be . . . al Qaeda and its allies and sympathizers. Inspire Magazine, a publication founded by Anwar al-Awlaki and often tied by the U.S. to Al Qaeda figures, has come out with a cover story attacking Ahmadinejad for suggesting that al Qaeda was not responsible or someone used in the attacks by U.S. intelligence. It appears that al Qaeda views this “truther” account as nothing short of defamation or at least product disparagement.
Continue reading ‘Does Al Qaeda Have A Case For Defamation Against Ahmadinejad?’
New York Police Arrest Seven In Alleged SAT Cheating Ring
Published 1, September 28, 2011 Academics , Bizarre , Criminal law 12 Comments
In the high-pressure competition to ranking colleges, Sam Eshaghoff, 19, was a solution for those who long for high scores but lack of the ability or time to secure them. Eshaghoff and six students were arrested on criminal charges for a scheme in which Eshaghoff pretended to be other people to take the SAT exam for them — at the cost of $1,500 to $2,500.
Continue reading ‘New York Police Arrest Seven In Alleged SAT Cheating Ring’
Germany Calls U.S. Plan To Save Euro “Stupid”
Published 1, September 28, 2011 Academics , Bizarre , International , Politics 65 Comments
German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble left little question about his view of the wisdom of the economic policies of the Obama Administration. Schauble called the U.S. plan to pour trillions of dollars into the bailout fund “stupid” and said it would destroy the AAA ratings for the members — precisely what occurred to the U.S. this year. There is rising criticism of the economic views of Timothy Geithner, who some view as steering the U.S. into massive and unproductive spending.
Continue reading ‘Germany Calls U.S. Plan To Save Euro “Stupid”’
Presidential Hit and Run? Obama Sued For Trashing Massachusetts Airport
Published 1, September 28, 2011 Torts 28 Comments
Now this is an interesting lawsuit. In Massachusetts, Marlboro Airport wants payment of $676,048 for damage caused by “negligent” use of its facility, including unauthorized vehicles that tore up its field. The problem is that the culprit is the U.S. government. In 2010, President Barack Obama descended on the airport and brought with him a huge entourage, including a massive vehicles that were too heavy for the tarmac. After trashing the field, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security refused to compensate the company that runs the field.
Continue reading ‘Presidential Hit and Run? Obama Sued For Trashing Massachusetts Airport’
Saudi Arabian Court Orders Woman Flogged For Driving
Published 1, September 28, 2011 Bizarre , Courts , Criminal law , International 10 Comments
Just after we ran a rare congratulatory piece on the Saudi King giving the right to vote to woman, the Saudi courts gave a chilling reminder of the plight of women in the Kingdom by sentencing Shaima Ghassaniya to be flogged for driving.
Continue reading ‘Saudi Arabian Court Orders Woman Flogged For Driving’
20,000 Heat-Seeking Missiles Disappear From Libyan Warehouse
Published 1, September 28, 2011 Criminal law , International , Military 8 Comments
Just when you thought flying could not get more stressful . . . ABC has learned of a secret White House report alerting U.S. officials of the theft of an estimated 20,000 portable, heat-seeking missiles from an Army warehouse in Libya.
Continue reading ’20,000 Heat-Seeking Missiles Disappear From Libyan Warehouse’
Toro Taking? Bullfighting Promoters Sue Over Ban in Barcelona
Published 1, September 27, 2011 Bizarre , Environment , International 29 Comments
Now this is a takings case. Last week saw the last bullfight in Barcelona, Spain. This week there is talk of a lawsuit by bullfighting companies who want compensation for the ban on killing bulls slowly in a ring for the enjoyment of thousands of fans of the blood sport.
Continue reading ‘Toro Taking? Bullfighting Promoters Sue Over Ban in Barcelona’
De Jesus Loves You: Hit Man Stages Killing After Falling In Love With Target
Published 1, September 27, 2011 Bizarre , Criminal law , International 16 Comments
Let no one say that criminal lawyers and their clients are not romantic. This picture is a staged death scene by a hired killer, Carlos Roberto de Jesus, who fell in love with his target in Brazil. Presumably, Sylvester Stallone is taking Spanish in preparation for the film.
Continue reading ‘De Jesus Loves You: Hit Man Stages Killing After Falling In Love With Target’
Police Taser Teenager in Face To Stop Fight With Another Teenager
Published 1, September 27, 2011 Criminal law , International , Society 22 Comments
A Canadian police officer is the focus of an inquiry after a citizen filmed him shooting a Taser in the face of a teenager involved in a street brawl. While the 17-year-old is recovering, he took a surgery to remove the prong from his ear.
Continue reading ‘Police Taser Teenager in Face To Stop Fight With Another Teenager’
Massachusetts Supreme Court Upholds Right To Charge Citizens For Challenging Tickets — Win or Lose
Published 1, September 27, 2011 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , Society 35 Comments
There has long been an reasonable expectation among citizens that, if they are falsely accused of an offense, they will not have to pay either the fine or the cost of a hearing. Indeed, even if found guilty, there is generally not a charge for seeking justice in a court. Not in Salem, Massachusetts. The state supreme court ruled last week that motorists must pay the state even if they win their cases in court. The cost of fighting a ticket is $75, which can be roughly the cost of the ticket itself. It is a system that makes a mockery of the right to challenge a charge. No wonder so many witches were burned in the town . . . most could not afford the cost of an appeal.
U R BdBy: Kuwait Jails Blogger For Tweet Critical of Shiites
Published 1, September 27, 2011 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Criminal law , Free Speech , International , Media 4 Comments
A Kuwaiti court on Sunday sentenced a Sunni Islamist activist to three months in jail for tweeting comments that were deemed derogatory to Shiite Muslims. I have previously written about the increase in such blasphemy prosecutions, including a trend in the West, as well as President Obama’s decision to support a U.N. resolution embracing the concept of blasphemy prosecutions – an abandonment of our long opposition to such laws. As previously discussed in a column and a line of blog stories (here and here and here and here), various Western governments have been curtailing free speech by prosecuting blasphemy and speech against various groups. In this case, Mubarak al-Bathali was convicted over his use of Twitter. It appears that you can blaspheme in 140 words or less.
Continue reading ‘U R BdBy: Kuwait Jails Blogger For Tweet Critical of Shiites’
Alabama Courts Give The Convicted The Choice Between Jail and Church
Published 1, September 26, 2011 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , Religion , Society 31 Comments
In Bay Minette, Alabama, felons are being given the opportunity to climb the wall. Not the prison wall, mind you. The Alabama court and local police are helping felons over the wall of separation of church and state by giving convicted citizens an opportunity to avoid jail if they volunteer — so long as it is with a church.
Continue reading ‘Alabama Courts Give The Convicted The Choice Between Jail and Church’
Arkansas Judge Barred From Using Her Court For Show . . . Resigns And Rents Courtroom For New Reality Court Show
Published 1, September 26, 2011 Courts , Media , Society 13 Comments
Former Circuit Judge Mary Ann Gunn of Fayetteville has added her name to the expanding number of lawyers who are degrading the legal profession with faux court shows that mete out justice as a form of entertainment. I have previously denounced these shows and the types of lawyers who reduce their profession to the level of farce and freak shows (here). In Gunn’s case, the state bar informed her in 2010 that she was violating ethical rules by arranging to have her hearings filmed and released to shows. Rather than give up her desire for fame, Gunn resigned from the court and created a fake court called “Last Shot with Judge Gunn,” a show criticized by drug law experts as harmful and misleading. The problem with people like Gunn is that these shows are the product by unrestrained and self-consuming egotism built on the ruins of such professional values.
Continue reading ‘Arkansas Judge Barred From Using Her Court For Show . . . Resigns And Rents Courtroom For New Reality Court Show’
Saudi Women Given The Right To Vote
Published 1, September 26, 2011 Constitutional Law , International , Politics , Society 20 CommentsWe often criticize Saudi Arabia for its treatment of women and religious minorities under its extreme religious laws. Accordingly, we should also not hesitate to praise the country when it moves toward giving greater freedoms or embracing tolerance for minority groups. On Sunday, Saudi King Abdullah announced on Sunday he was giving women the right to vote and run in municipal elections.
Continue reading ‘Saudi Women Given The Right To Vote’
CERN Reports First Practical Application of Particle Moving Faster Than Speed of Light
Published 1, September 26, 2011 Academics , Science 14 Comments
Physicists did not take long to find the first practical application of the reported success of scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in making a subatomic particle go faster than the speed of light for the first time. The scientists used neutrinos, which were observed smashing past the cosmic speed barrier of 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second). Below is the first joke being circulated around by our colleagues in the Physics Departments (and sent to me by one of my colleagues at the law school).
Continue reading ‘CERN Reports First Practical Application of Particle Moving Faster Than Speed of Light’
A Pinch of Satire: Bake Sale Causes Uproar at Berkeley
Published 1, September 26, 2011 Academics , Bizarre , Free Speech , Politics , Society 120 Comments
Campus Republicans at the University of California Berkeley have reportedly received threats after creating a novel form of protests against California schools considering race in admissions. The students created a sale of baked goods priced according to their race: white men for $2.00, Asian men for $1.50, Latino men for $1.00, black men for $0.75 and Native American men for $0.25. All women will get $0.25 off those prices.
Continue reading ‘A Pinch of Satire: Bake Sale Causes Uproar at Berkeley’
Irish Coroner Finds Death Was Case Of “Spontaneous Combustion”
Published 1, September 26, 2011 Bizarre , Criminal law , Science , Torts 16 Comments
In my torts class, we often discuss accounts of “spontaneous combustion” particularly after discussing the case of spontaneous combustion of a hay rick in Vaughn v. Menlove. Such cases have occasionally been reported with people, albeit to skeptical police. The latest comes from Ireland where Michael Faherty, 76, seemed to spontaneously combust.
Continue reading ‘Irish Coroner Finds Death Was Case Of “Spontaneous Combustion”’
Second Amendment Boogey Man
Published 1, September 25, 2011 Constitutional Law , Courts , Justice , Media , Politics 795 Comments
Respectfully Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw)-Guest Blogger
When it comes to the Second Amendment and guns, it seems that President Obama can’t make anyone happy. Ever since Obama announced his candidacy for the Presidency, the NRA has screamed that Obama will be taking away the guns. This scare tactic continued when Obama defeated John McCain for the Presidency. Just what has Barack Obama done to make the NRA and gun owners frightened for their guns? The simple answer to this question is nothing. Continue reading ‘Second Amendment Boogey Man’
Here is our picture of the week from our erstwhile colleague in the City of Light, Eric Tenin.
Continue reading ‘Sunday in Paris With Eric’
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
In his 2010 book, “Fed Up,” Governor Rick Perry called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.” A Ponzi scheme is an individual investment plan wherein investors are paid “interest” by the principal paid into the scheme by later dupes. A geometrically increating supply of new investor principal is required to pay off the “interest” to previous investors.
The WSJ calls Perry’s claim misleading and PolitiFact terms it False.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
For your listening enjoyment, we present The Drifters in glorious STEREO!
On the Challenging, Banning, and Censorship of Books: My Response to Jonah Goldberg’s Piece “Banned Book B.S. Cont’d” at the National Review Online
Published 1, September 24, 2011 Free Speech 70 Comments
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Part I
Jonah Goldberg was not pleased with Banned Books Week: Just a Lot of Propaganda Says Jonah Goldberg, the post that I wrote for the Turley blog last Sunday. In my post, I criticized Goldberg’s op-ed titled Banned Books Week is just hype, which appeared in USA Today on September 5th. Goldberg responded to my criticism of his op-ed with a blog post titled Banned Book B.S. Cont’d at the National Review Online (NRO). He said that my effort to come “to the rescue of the Banned Book Week crowd” was “entirely underwhelming.” He added, “A big chunk of her response restates my op-ed while casting her incomprehension as if it’s a rebuttal.”
Goldberg said my insinuation that the threat of book banning is a more serious problem than we realize because of the book challenges that go unreported to ALA (American Library Association) was “incredibly lame.”
Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
As a suitable companion piece to my last post, I present the less than dulcet tones of Bob Dylan.
As We Careen Towards a Dream of Armageddon
Published 1, September 24, 2011 Columns , Constitutional Law , Free Speech , International , Military , Politics , Religion , Society , USA Today 67 CommentsSubmitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
To my mind the greatest movie satire on the idiocy of the Cold War and the fear it inspired in humanity, was Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece “Dr. Strangelove, or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb”, released in 1964. The plot in brief was, “An insane general starts a process to nuclear holocaust that a war room of politicians and generals frantically try to stop”. For those unfamiliar with one of the best American movies of all time check this link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/
Rent the movie if you haven’t seen it, for it will bring you dark laughter and present you with much to ponder. At the time of its release, some disparaged the movie as being un-credible in its characterizations and not believable in it premises. I hadn’t thought of the movie in years until I came across this article at the website Buzzflash.com titled “The Theology of Armageddon” by Robert Koehler. http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13024 . The article is relatively brief, but well worth your time.
The article deals with a course titled “Nuclear Ethics and Nuclear Warfare” at Vandenberg Air Force Base, given under Air Force auspices. As the Robert Koehler states:
“(I)t turns out that the point of the mandatory course, which was recently canceled by the Air Force after officers of numerous faiths complained to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation about it and Truthout published an exposé in July, was to give officers in the first week of missile-launch training a Bible-verse-studded indoctrination in faux-Just War Theory (cynically known in the ranks as the “Jesus Loves Nukes” training)”.
What got me thinking of the movie Dr. Strangelove was a quote in the article from Dr. Wehrner Von Braun, which makes credible the satiric reality of the movies title character, Dr. Strangelove, hysterically portrayed as a heavily accented former NAZI, by Peter Sellers. Seller’s character was widely denounced as being unfair to Von Braun, at the time, but seeing this quote from him makes me wonder:
“We knew that we had created a new means of warfare and the question as to what nation . . . we were willing to entrust this brainchild of ours was a moral decision more than anything else,” von Braun is quoted as saying. “We wanted to see the world spared another conflict such as Germany had just been through and we felt that only by surrendering such a weapon to people who are guided by the Bible could such an assurance to the world be best secured.”
To me this is post facto justification by von Braun of his choice of the comfort of an honored life in the U.S. mirroring his NAZI lifestyle and providing a sop to detract from the truth that he was an enthusiastic war criminal. Von Braun had developed the V (I & II) guided missiles for the NAZI’s and became the head of the United States Ballistic Missile Program. Von Braun was a NAZI Party member of distinction and it seems dedication. His missiles fell upon Great Britain in the closing days of WW II as an attempt to cause terror within the British people and were random in their destruction. That he then became an honored man in the U.S., rather than a defendant at Nuremburg, is a tribute to our own hypocrisy in prosecuting the Cold War. A similar mindset seems to have infected some in our Air Force as I will show. Continue reading ‘As We Careen Towards a Dream of Armageddon’
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Porn king Larry Flynt has issued a new bounty. On Thursday, the Hustler magazine publisher, offered $1 million to anyone with proof of “an illicit sexual liaison” involving Republican presidential candidate, Rick Perry. Flynt is not too particular either, he’ll accept both gay and straight encounters.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
The honeyguide is a bird famous for leading humans to bee hives. The humans raid the hive of its honey and leave some of the spoils in a convenient location for the honeyguide. It’s an incredible example symbiotic behavior. It has also been claimed that honeyguides lead honey badgers to hives. This turns out to be false. The origin of the misconception may have occurred since honeyguides would follow honey badgers and partake of the badger’s leftovers. It’s also a good excuse to embed this cool video:
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Today we have The Everly Brothers in glorious STEREO!
Solyndra Executives Plead The Fifth In Deepening Scandal
Published 1, September 23, 2011 Congress , Criminal law , Society 17 Comments
In another bad turn for the White House, Solyndra executives repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment on the company’s financial collapse and its receipt of $535 million federal loan guarantee. President Barack Obama has been criticized for ignoring warnings that the company was poorly structured and in danger of failing before highlighting the company as an example of his program of stimulus funds.
Continue reading ‘Solyndra Executives Plead The Fifth In Deepening Scandal’
Judges Behaving Badly (3): Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs Attacks Civil Libertarians and Lawyers Before Second Circuit
Published 1, September 23, 2011 Constitutional Law , Courts , Lawyering , Society 15 Comments
We recently discussed the shocking outburst by conservative judges on the Seventh Circuit and Fifth Circuits. Now, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has joined the ranks of jurists engaging in visceral and, in my view, inappropriate commentary from the bench. The circuit sitting en banc split 6-6 Wednesday on whether to grant en banc review on a challenge of the federal wiretap law. What was most striking, however, was not the sharp division but the rhetoric of Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs. Building on a trend of federal judges to so narrow standing as to block any meaningful avenue to challenge government actions. However, Jacobs decided to vent his anger at public interest attorneys and their causes and clients.
Continue reading ‘Judges Behaving Badly (3): Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs Attacks Civil Libertarians and Lawyers Before Second Circuit’
Student Disciplined For Telling Friend In Class That He Views Homosexuality As Wrong
Published 1, September 23, 2011 Academics , Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Free Speech , Politics , Religion , Society 88 Comments
There is an interesting controversy in Fort Worth, Texas where Dakota Ary, an honors student was suspended for turning to another student in his German class and saying that he viewed homosexuality as wrong. The teacher at Western Hills High School became angry in overhearing the comment and accused Ary of being a bully.
Continue reading ‘Student Disciplined For Telling Friend In Class That He Views Homosexuality As Wrong’
Texas Ends Last Meal Tradition After Brewer Execution
Published 1, September 23, 2011 Criminal law , Politics , Society 35 Comments
It has long been a tradition to give a dying man his last requests for dinner. Lawrence Brewer took that request to an extreme, ordering a meal fit for an entire cellblock. That produced a backlash from state Senator John Whitmire who demanded an end to the tradition in Texas. He succeeded and now death row inmates will simply get whatever is served that night at the prison.
Continue reading ‘Texas Ends Last Meal Tradition After Brewer Execution’
Fast Little Neutrino: Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity Challenged By Test Showing Particle Traveling Faster Than Speed of Light
Published 1, September 23, 2011 Academics , International , Science 44 CommentsIt turns out that Einstein was a bit slow after all. Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has made a subatomic particle go faster than the speed of light for the first time — something that shattered one assumption of Einstein’s theories. The scientists used neutrinos, which were observed smashing past the cosmic speed barrier of 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second).
Continue reading ‘Fast Little Neutrino: Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity Challenged By Test Showing Particle Traveling Faster Than Speed of Light’
Chief Judge Edith Jones Attacks Fellow Judge in Oral Argument And Yells At Him To Shut Up Or Leave The Courtroom
Published 1, September 22, 2011 Bizarre , Courts , Lawyering , Society 31 Comments
Chief Judge Edith Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has long been unpopular with many lawyers and judges. Now her reputation for a certain nastiness has emerged in a public scandal after she screamed at her colleague Judge James L. Dennis to “shut up” or get out in the middle of an oral argument.
Mother Dearest: Man Abandoned By Mother As A Teen Is Sued By Mother For Parental Support
Published 1, September 22, 2011 Bizarre , International , Society 21 Comments
Ken Anderson, 47, is understandably confused. As a teenager, he was abandoned by his mother, Shirley Anderson, 73, and had to live with other families, quit school, and raise himself. Now his elderly mother has filed in British Columbia for parental support.
Continue reading ‘Mother Dearest: Man Abandoned By Mother As A Teen Is Sued By Mother For Parental Support’
Gladiator Games: Police Investigate Cage Fighting For Kids But Find No Legal Violations
Published 1, September 22, 2011 Bizarre , Criminal law , International 16 Comments
In a shocking story below, police have investigated the introduction of children as young as eight into cage fighting events. The children fight as adults cheer while drinking beer and egging them on. The police investigated and found no violations or crimes in such events.
Continue reading ‘Gladiator Games: Police Investigate Cage Fighting For Kids But Find No Legal Violations’
Texas Judge Rules Gay Father Cannot Leave Children With His Husband
Published 1, September 22, 2011 Constitutional Law , Courts , Society 25 Comments
Harris County judge Charley Prine, a Republican judge in Texas, is under fire for a clearly homophobic order barring a gay father from leaving his children alone with his husband. William Flowers (pictured, left below) and Jim Evans (right) were legally married in Connecticut and are appealing the order that says that the children cannot be left alone with with any man who is not related to them by blood or adoption unless his ex-wife consents.
Continue reading ‘Texas Judge Rules Gay Father Cannot Leave Children With His Husband’
Airplane Armrest Leads To Airport Arrest
Published 1, September 22, 2011 Bizarre , Criminal law 13 Comments
And you thought your last seatmate on an airplane was a bit irritating . . . Try David Alan Anderson, 60. Anderson sat down on a Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas and immediately began elbowing the passenger next to him and claiming the armrest. It then got worse . . . much worse.
Continue reading ‘Airplane Armrest Leads To Airport Arrest’
Department of Just Desserts? Report Shows DOJ Spent Half a Million Dollars on Food in 2008 — For Just 10 Conferences
Published 1, September 21, 2011 Bizarre , Justice , Society 50 Comments
We have previously explored our concern for a possible eating disorder by a leading Republican. Now, it appears an entire agency could have a serious need for intervention. A report found that the Department of Justice spent roughly $500,000 for food and beverages — at just 10 conferences. That included $16 muffins and coffee at a dollar an ounce.
Space Torts: NASA Puts Risk of Being Hit By Falling Satellite At 1 in 3200
Published 1, September 21, 2011 Academics , Bizarre , Science , Torts 15 Comments
NASA still is unsure where a giant six-ton six-ton satellite will hit this week, but they are trying to calm nerves by saying that the risk of someone being hit is only 1 in 3200. I was struck by that figure because in tort law that would be considered an unacceptable risk in cases of product liability or malpractice.
Continue reading ‘Space Torts: NASA Puts Risk of Being Hit By Falling Satellite At 1 in 3200′
New Picture Shows Pilot Missing on Galloping Ghost Shortly Before Fatal Crash
Published 1, September 21, 2011 Bizarre , Society , Torts 83 Comments
This newly released photograph has raised concerns that the recent deadly crash at the Nevada air race may have been caused by a defective cockpit seat. The pilot, Jimmy Leeward, should have been seen in the cockpit even if he had passed out in the Galloping Ghost, his vintage WWII-era P-51 mustang.
Continue reading ‘New Picture Shows Pilot Missing on Galloping Ghost Shortly Before Fatal Crash’
Not So Noble Savage: Columnist Creates “Google Problem” for Santorum With Campaign To Link Name To Graphic Sexual Term
Published 1, September 21, 2011 Bizarre , Politics , Society 84 Comments
On shows like The Daily Show, people have chuckled that former Senator Rick Santorum’s name is synonymous with a graphic sexual act. Gay columnist Dan Savage launched a campaign for people to link the name to the act on Google. This prompted Santorum to contact Google and complain that the company is “spreading filth.”
Former Harvard Law Professor Pleads Guilty to Vehicular Homicide
Published 1, September 21, 2011 Academics , Criminal law , Society 14 Comments
Retired international law professor Detlev Vagts, 82, has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in the death of Marcia Kearney in Newton, Massachusetts. In light of his plea and presumably his age, Vagts was spared prison time in favor of three years probation and six months of house arrest. He has been ordered not to drive for the rest of his life.
Continue reading ‘Former Harvard Law Professor Pleads Guilty to Vehicular Homicide’
Seventh Circuit Slams Attorney For 345-Word Sentence and “Gibberish” — Demands Show Cause On Possible Disbarment
Published 1, September 20, 2011 Courts , Lawyering , Politics , Society 23 Comments
If brevity is the soul of wit, Walter Maksym may be the most witless lawyer in practice. That may soon change if the Seventh Circuit has its way. The court slammed Maksym recently for writing a brief full of gibberish, including a 345-word sentence. The court has ordered Maksym to show cause why he should not be disbarred.
Continue reading ‘Seventh Circuit Slams Attorney For 345-Word Sentence and “Gibberish” — Demands Show Cause On Possible Disbarment’
Supergrass: Courts Find Police Informer Not Only Had 51 Convictions But Is A “Pathological Liar”
Published 1, September 20, 2011 Criminal law , International , Society 11 Comments
The use of informers by police have always been criticized, particularly jail house snitches who will implicate anyone for a better deal. Scotland Yard has used 158 “supergrasses” used since 2006, including Gary Eaton, 51, who is now the center of a scandal over such procured testimony. Called a “pathological liar” by two courts, the Metropolitan Police still used Eaton to the trial of various people of murder. While records show the police were aware of his prior record, pathological lying, and mental instability, Scotland Yard has announced that no officers or prosecutors will be punished for his use as the star witness in two murder trials.
Eating Out of House and Home: Republican Opposes New Taxes By Noting That He Needs $200,000 a Year for Food
Published 1, September 20, 2011 Bizarre , Congress , Politics , Society 124 Comments
There may be need for an intervention in Congress after Rep. John Fleming, a Louisiana Republican, admitted to what appears an eating disorder. Fleming went on television to denounce Obama’s plans to tax the wealthy and explained how he really does not have a lot of income left over from earning $6.3 million a year from his string of Subway and UPS businesses. He insists that after paying taxes, salaries, and support for his businesses, he only takes home $600,000 — of which $200,000 goes to food for his family. Fleming is the father of four adult children and lives alone with his wife.
Continue reading ‘Eating Out of House and Home: Republican Opposes New Taxes By Noting That He Needs $200,000 a Year for Food’
First Circuit Reinstates $675,000 Verdict Against Boston University Student For Downloading Songs
Published 1, September 20, 2011 Bizarre , Congress , Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , Politics , Society 16 Comments
For years, we have discussed the abusive litigation by the Recording Industry Association of America in seeking obscene damages against people for downloading songs. Congress, again, caved to demands by lobbyists to allow for such lawsuits. The result has been thuggish lawsuits where industry lawyers threaten not only citizens with ruin but, in the case of the Copyright Group, those who try to help them. Now, one of the most obscene verdicts against Boston University student Joel Tenenbaum has been reinstated by the First Circuit — $675,000 for downloading and sharing 30 songs. The court, however, takes the rare step of suggesting that Congress may want to look again at the law. The problem is that these citizens do not have well-paid lobbyists and massive campaign funds to motivate many members to act. The Obama Administration joined the industry in defending the law and the original fines as not unconstitutional.
Posner Ridicules Right of Citizens To Film Police in Seventh Circuit Oral Argument
Published 1, September 19, 2011 Constitutional Law , Criminal law , Free Speech , Lawyering 68 Comments
Judge Richard A. Posner is a legal icon who has had more impact on the development of the law. As the father of the Law and Economics movement, Posner’s writings are featured heavily in my classes as well as other classes around the country. While I disagree with him, I have tremendous respect for his scholarship and jurisprudence. However, a recent oral argument revealed a less flattering side of the former University of Chicago professor. Faced with an attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union in a case involving the right of citizens to film police in public, Posner cut him off after 14 words and spoke derisively of the right of citizens and groups to engage in such protected conduct.
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Fidler in the Subway: New York Council Member Calls For Censorship of Pro-Palestinian Ads in Subway
Published 1, September 19, 2011 Constitutional Law , Free Speech , Media , Politics , Religion 12 Comments
Councilman Lewis Fidler (D-Brooklyn) is calling for the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) to pull down ads critical of funding for Israel. Fidler is demanding that MTA President Thomas Prendergast put an end to billboards calling for an end to funding for Israel as “a highly political campaign with a controversial underlying anti-Israel message.” Apparently, amid all of the graffiti and ads and pamphlets in the MTA there is no room for messages critical of Israel. Fidler wrote I would urge you to disallow and/or remove these advertisements.”
Continue reading ‘Fidler in the Subway: New York Council Member Calls For Censorship of Pro-Palestinian Ads in Subway’
Stealing Kid’s Lunch Money: New York Couple Charged With Theft From School Programs — And Then Go Bonkers Outside Court
Published 1, September 19, 2011 Academics , Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 16 Comments
Stealing kid’s lunch money has long been a scourge in schools, but usually the thieves come from the ranks of adolescent bullies. Prosecutors allege that Joanna Fan and her husband, Ziming Shen, never got out of the habit and stole at least $2.5 million in federal funds meant for nutritious meals for preschoolers.
Continue reading ‘Stealing Kid’s Lunch Money: New York Couple Charged With Theft From School Programs — And Then Go Bonkers Outside Court’
U.S. Now 25th In The World in Internet Speed — Just Ahead of Romania
Published 1, September 19, 2011 Congress , International , Media , Politics 12 Comments
The New York Times is reporting that the U.S. has fallen to 25th in a global ranking of Internet speeds. Feel not for the future, however, we are still one spot ahead of Romania. Take that Bucharest cyber cafes!
Continue reading ‘U.S. Now 25th In The World in Internet Speed — Just Ahead of Romania’
Redistricting and the Citizen Legislator
Published 1, September 19, 2011 Constitutional Law , Politics 17 CommentsSubmitted by Mike Appleton, Guest Blogger
The decennial exercise in legislative self-dealing known as redistricting has been frequently assailed as corrupt. Efforts to eliminate the incentive to treat redistricting as an incumbency protection racket by placing term limits on House and Senate members have run afoul of the Constitution. But Floridians may have found a partial solution. As Republicans were strengthening their super-majority status in the state legislature this past November, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to redistrict the remaining Democrats to somewhere in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, voters were simultaneously adopting by substantial margins two amendments to the Florida constitution intended to eliminate gerrymandering. And a federal judge has now thrown out the Florida legislature’s constitutional challenge to one of those amendments.
Continue reading ‘Redistricting and the Citizen Legislator’
Baldwin Accuses News Corp of Censoring Joke on Murdoch
Published 1, September 19, 2011 Bizarre , Media , Politics 13 Comments
There is an interesting censorship allegation this week after Alec Baldwin walked out on the Emmy telecast in response to the decision by News Corp to cut a joke about CEO Rupert Murdoch and the expanding phone-hacking scandal. Comedians have always been a central part of political speech in the United States as have cartoonists and others who use art or prose to address matters of public interest. The alleged censorship of the material by Fox or News Corp shows, at very best, a lack of judgment by company officials and attorneys.
Continue reading ‘Baldwin Accuses News Corp of Censoring Joke on Murdoch’
Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger
Webster’s defines compassion as:
compassion \kəm-ˈpa-shən\, n.,
: sympathetic of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it
In yet another instance of corporate callousness, Claudia Rendon, a 41-year old mother from Philadelphia, was fired from her job at Aviation Institute of Maintenance after taking leave to donate a kidney to her son, Alex. Kidney transplant surgery normally takes six to eight weeks recovery time. Rendon had discussed taking unpaid leave from July 19 to undergo the kidney transplant surgery on July 21 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and to return to her job on September 1. She told ABC News that on her last day of work, her manager presented her with a letter to sign acknowledging that her job was not secure one hour after telling her that she would have her job upon her return. On August 24, Rendon informed Aviation Institute of Maintenance that she might not be able to return to work September 1 due to severe lower back pain; a common complication of such surgery. Aviation Institute of Maintenance said they wanted a letter from the doctor. The University of Pennsylvania hospital and her short-term disability provider each wrote letters to Rendon’s employer stating she would return to work Sept. 12. Upon making a social visit to Aviation Institute of Maintenance on September 8, she found out her position had been filled by someone else on September 6. Alex, who was a student at AIM, has also suffered repercussions of undergoing this lifesaving transplant. The school is trying to collect $2,000 related to time he took off in addition to trying to charge him $150 to re-enroll. Did Aviation Institute of Maintenance break the law? Or are they just another example of a callous employer lacking in compassion?
Banned Books Week: Just a Lot of Propaganda Says Jonah Goldberg
Published 1, September 18, 2011 Uncategorized 148 CommentsSubmitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Banned Books Weeks 2011 will be observed September 24-October 1.
Jonah Goldberg claims that Banned Books Week (BBW) is nothing but hype. In a column he penned for USA Today in early September, Goldberg wrote that BBW “is an exercise in propaganda.” He continued, “For starters, as a legal matter no book in America is banned, period, full stop (not counting, I suppose, some hard-core illegal child porn or some such out there). Any citizen can go to a bookstore or Amazon.com and buy any book legally in print — or out of print for that matter.”
Continue reading ‘Banned Books Week: Just a Lot of Propaganda Says Jonah Goldberg’
Recent American History According to Cheney
Published 1, September 18, 2011 Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , International , Justice , Military , Politics , Society , Supreme Court , Things That Tick Me Off 18 Comments
Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty(Rafflaw)-Guest Blogger
I admit that I get a headache when I read any news about former Bush administration officials, but it seems that former Vice President Dick Cheney is in the news again and I am left scrambling for my migraine medicine. He has written a book detailing all the wonderful things he accomplished as Vice President under George W. Bush. Unfortunately for Mr. Cheney, in his efforts to explain his work as Vice President under George W. Bush, he may have provided an admission of some of the alleged lies that critics claim were being spread by Cheney and the Bush administration in the lead up to war in Iraq. Continue reading ‘Recent American History According to Cheney’
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, gave a speech at Harvard Law School entitled “Strengthening our Security by Adhering to our Values and Laws.” According to Marty Lederman, “it is the most comprehensive single statement of the Obama Administration’s policies and practices with respect to al Qaeda and other terrorist threats.”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Break out the headphones/earbuds for The Beach Boys, in glorious STEREO!
Here is our picture of the week from our erstwhile colleague in the City of Light, Eric Tenin.
The Christian Zionist Movement and Jewish Confusion
Published 1, September 17, 2011 Columns , International , Justice , Politics , Religion , Society , Uncategorized 79 CommentsSubmitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
Most people who regularly visit this blog know that I am Jewish. While I am not what one would call a pious Jew, being a Deist in outlook, I have always been very proud of my ethnicity and of the religion, which plays a central part in it. From their infancy, my children were immersed in Judaism both through education and by our family regularly taking part in Jewish Rituals, including regular Synagogue attendance. Where I part personally from normative Judaism is that I view the Torah, The Five Books of Moses, as primarily allegory with some real history thrown in. To me it is a work of some wise and some not so wise men, not the writings of God. I believe and have seen demonstrated in many families though, that the Torah and its 613 Commandments can serve as blueprint for living a fulfilling life.
The issue becomes complicated when it comes to my feelings about Israel. To me the existence ofI srael is a necessity for Jews to have a future in this world and if it comes to it, a final haven to make our last stand. I am an American first, so I would not willingly emigrate away from the country of my birth, unless those who hate Jews come to power. Contrary to the opinion of many, Jews are far from being a homogeneous ethnicity/religion. One cannot for instance refer to being an Orthodox Jew with any precision of description since that movement is in itself splintered on many details of interpretation. This is true of the other main branches of Judaism: Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionism. Perhaps it is because there is no central Jewish religious authority speaking for all Jews, as much as organizations like ADL, AIPAC, et. al. would claim to, that the range of Jewish opinion is so wide on so many subjects.
This brings me to an article I read at the PublicEye.org titled: “The New Christian Zionism and the Jews”. Its’ thesis is that many Jewish supporters of Israel and the current Israeli government have allied themselves with Christian Fundamentalists whose “love” for Israel and Jews come from the wish to fulfill the prophecies of The Book of Revelations, where in fact Jews not willing to accept Jesus, will die in a horrid holocaust. This trend has been one disturbing me for a long time. I have watched Jews and Israeli’s embrace Fundamentalist Christian support, in what to me is a shortsighted and irrational policy. This could be justified by saying that a country takes its allies where one can get them. Sometimes what seems an example of realpolitik is merely an instance of dangerously narrow opportunism, as I will elaborate. Continue reading ‘The Christian Zionist Movement and Jewish Confusion’
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
St. Xavier is an all-boys Jesuit high school in Cincinnati, Ohio. During a football game with long-standing intra-city rival Colerain, the St. Xavier student section chanted “We’ve got Jesus!”, moments after Colerain missed a game-tying field goal. Do they really think that Jesus cares about who wins a football game?
The Colerain student body responded with their own chant: “We’ve got girls!”
While St. Xavier won the football game, by a score of 17-14, they lost the chant war.
H/T: Yahoo! Sports.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Debbie Schlussel says she can’t be sure, but it seems that Michelle turns to Barack and says “All of this for a damn flag.” This happened during the flag folding ceremony at the 9/11 memorial. Here’s the video:
Well some expert lip readers have put Schlussel to shame:
“It’s amazing how they fold that flag.”
H/T: LGF.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Today we have Unit 4 + 2 in glorious STEREO!
Federal Judge: Florida Docs Can Talk To Patients About Guns
Published 1, September 17, 2011 Constitutional Law , Courts , Free Speech 24 CommentsSubmitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Gun-owning Floridians will now be able to discuss those lethal weapons with their physicians after a federal judge has blocked the enforcement of a Florida law. Florida governor and Tea Party darling, Rick Scott, signed into law a gag order preventing doctors from talking to their patients about the hazards of gun possession in their homes when small children and teenagers are present.
Continue reading ‘Federal Judge: Florida Docs Can Talk To Patients About Guns’
Excessive Carry On: Irish National Arrested in Brazil After Ingesting 72 Bags
Published 1, September 16, 2011 Bizarre , Criminal law 26 Comments
You will have to forgive the graphic picture but this extraordinary x-ray is a 20-year-old Irish national caught in Brazil after swallowing 72 bags of cocaine.
Continue reading ‘Excessive Carry On: Irish National Arrested in Brazil After Ingesting 72 Bags’
White House Warned in 2009 That Solyndra Was Poor Investment
Published 1, September 16, 2011 Environment , Politics , Society 57 Comments
For about a week, I have been hesitant to post on the Solyndra scandal. There seemed to be a bit of too much of a pile on due to this being a green tech company. However, it is now serious and new evidence suggests that the White House was not just cavalier with such stimulus funds but willfully blind that this company (run by a major Democratic donor who visited the White House repeatedly before the public support by the President) was likely to fail. At best it was a remarkably moronic move by the President and his staff.
Continue reading ‘White House Warned in 2009 That Solyndra Was Poor Investment’
General Accuses White House of Pressuring Him To Change Testimony To Favor Company Run By Democratic Donor
Published 1, September 16, 2011 Media , Military , Politics , Society 31 Comments
There is a disturbing story out this week that four-star Air Force Gen. William Shelton testified under oath that the White House tried to pressure him into changing his testimony on a new wireless project in a way that would benefit a large Democratic donor. There is also an allegation that someone in the Administration leaked the intended testimony to the company.
Continue reading ‘General Accuses White House of Pressuring Him To Change Testimony To Favor Company Run By Democratic Donor’
Report: English Police Officers “Barely Literate” Due To Lowering Entry Standards
Published 1, September 16, 2011 Politics , Society 7 Comments
A new report on the quality of police in England found that some officers are “barely literate because entry standards are so low.” The author suggests that these standards were lowered to allow for greater numbers of minority officers. However, now the lack of literacy is delaying proceedings and causing problems for judges and lawyers alike.
Continue reading ‘Report: English Police Officers “Barely Literate” Due To Lowering Entry Standards’
The Plain Ponzi Scheme: Feds Charge “The Amish Bernie Madoff”
Published 1, September 16, 2011 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 18 Comments
Monroe Beachy, 77, is being call the Amish Bernie Madoff after being accused of running a Ponzi scheme that lost millions from his Amish community.
Continue reading ‘The Plain Ponzi Scheme: Feds Charge “The Amish Bernie Madoff”’
Australia Creates Third Gender Option For Citizens on Passports
Published 1, September 16, 2011 International , Politics , Society 14 Comments
In a victory for transgender citizens, the Australian government has decided that passports will now have three rather than two options for designating gender: male, female, and indeterminate. The latter will be designated with an “X”.
Continue reading ‘Australia Creates Third Gender Option For Citizens on Passports’
And Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There: Illinois Justice Accused Of Receiving Massive Financial Support From State Farm Before Vote In Favor of Company
Published 1, September 15, 2011 Uncategorized 19 Comments
Illinois Associate Justice Lloyd Karmeier is under fire this week after a petition was filed with the court detailing what is alleged to be previously undisclosed support from State Farm Insurance Company before Karmeier voted in favor of its side in a dispute. Previously, State Farm told the court that it had given $350,000 to Karmeier. Now plaintiffs lawyers, including former Sen. Fred Thompson, allege that he actually received between $2.4 million and $4 million from State Farm sources.
Continue reading ‘And Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There: Illinois Justice Accused Of Receiving Massive Financial Support From State Farm Before Vote In Favor of Company’
Mao’s Little Mandarins: Chinese Communists Lead List of The Super Wealthy
Published 1, September 15, 2011 Bizarre , International , Politics , Society 32 Comments
The concept of a millionaire Communist might not sit well with Mao’s Little Red Book, but it appears to be just fine with the modern Chinese Communist Party. The Forbes China 400 Rich list revealed this week that ‘over 90% of the 1,000 richest people tracked by the Hurun Report are either officials or members of the Chinese Communist Party.” The list reinforces the view that the CCP has become more of a cartel or, in some cases, a criminal enterprise than a true political party. Communist officials are routinely accused of breathtaking corruption and use of state power to force peasants from their land in development schemes.
Continue reading ‘Mao’s Little Mandarins: Chinese Communists Lead List of The Super Wealthy’
Until Death [or Dementia] Do Us Part? Robertson Says It Is OK To Divorce Spouses With Alzheimer’s
Published 1, September 15, 2011 Bizarre , Media , Religion , Society 182 Comments
The marriage vows may say “for better or for worse” and “in sickness and in health,” but Rev. Pat Robertson told his “700 Club” viewers that divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer’s is just fine. Robertson says that the vows say “until death do us part” and Alzheimer’s should be viewed as a type of death.
Continue reading ‘Until Death [or Dementia] Do Us Part? Robertson Says It Is OK To Divorce Spouses With Alzheimer’s’
FBI Raids Home Of CBS Correspondent By Mistake
Published 1, September 15, 2011 Criminal law , Media , Society 19 Comments
CBS News correspondent Priya David and her husband Alex Clemens got a look at a news story in progress from a unique angle this week — the FBI mistakenly raided their home with eight heavily armed and armored officers. They had the wrong family and appeared to dial down a bit when they were told that the woman upstairs nursing a baby was a CBS correspondent.
Continue reading ‘FBI Raids Home Of CBS Correspondent By Mistake’
Florida Woman Found Guilty of Criminal Neglect In Leaving Dog At Store For A Day Despite Absence of Necropsy
Published 1, September 15, 2011 Animals , Criminal law , Environment , Society 21 Comments
There is a fascinating case out of Florida this week that raises questions over the required proof needed for a criminal conviction — in this case, animal cruelty. Carla Ann Thomas was convicted of animal neglect after her a 5-year-old Akita named Sache was found dead after being left over the weekend at Healthy Paws, Thomas’ health food store for dogs and cats in St. Petersburg. She was convicted despite the fact that there was no necropsy and no one knows why the dog died. The prosecutor says that that is immaterial.
Continue reading ‘Florida Woman Found Guilty of Criminal Neglect In Leaving Dog At Store For A Day Despite Absence of Necropsy’
Cherokee Tribe Asserts Right To Expel Blacks
Published 1, September 14, 2011 Congress , Constitutional Law , Courts , International , Society , Supreme Court 26 Comments
The Cherokee Tribe is in an interesting confrontation with the federal government over the right of the tribe to ban 2,800 African Americans from its citizenship rolls. Joe Crittenden, the tribe’s acting principal chief, insists that the Bureau of Indian Affairs has challenged the sovereignty of the tribe and “The Cherokee Nation will not be governed by the BIA.”
Continue reading ‘Cherokee Tribe Asserts Right To Expel Blacks’
School Allows High School Student To Continue To Play Football After Being Criminally Charged With Rape
Published 1, September 14, 2011 Criminal law , Society 61 Comments
In Michigan, parents are outraged by the decision of a high school to allow senior Mitchell Landis to continue to play football after he was arrested and charged with rape. They insist that such arrests could constitute a violation of “good behavior” standards.
PLO Ambassador Declares New Palestinian State Would Be Jew Free
Published 1, September 14, 2011 Bizarre , International , Politics , Religion , Society 34 Comments
The Obama Administration is trying to quietly kill the move for recognition of a Palestinian state, particularly after the loss of Anthony Weiner’s seat in the House due in part to an angry backlash by Jewish voters over support of Israel. Other countries have said it is time and momentum appeared to be with the Palestinians . . . at least until the Palestine Liberation Organization’s ambassador Maen Areikat to the United States decided to add his views. Areikat described his vision of a beautiful new free and independent state. The key component? No Jews.
Continue reading ‘PLO Ambassador Declares New Palestinian State Would Be Jew Free’
Bachmann Attacks Perry For Giving Girls Anti-Cancer Vaccine . . . And Retardation
Published 1, September 14, 2011 Bizarre , Politics , Society 112 Comments
We have been following what Jon Huntsman called the war on science in the GOP. Now Rep. Michele Bachmann has added to the attacks on global warming, evolution, environmental protections, and other scientific work with a claim that the leading anti-cancer vaccine given to little girls causes retardation. Experts responded with alarm that Bachmann’s comments could discourage families from giving children the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
Continue reading ‘Bachmann Attacks Perry For Giving Girls Anti-Cancer Vaccine . . . And Retardation’
One Percent of Americans Works For The Defense Department
Published 1, September 13, 2011 Congress , Military , Politics , Society 169 Comments
A story today should prompt some discussion in how our society is changing as more and more Americans work for the government. For years, there has been a concern that we are becoming an institutionalized society with millions of Americans serving or working in prisons while millions more work for police and government agencies. Now, a report shows that one out of every 100 Americans work for the Defense Department. That is an astonishing figure. That figure balloons further when one considers the number of citizens working in the internal security, police, and intelligence systems.
Continue reading ‘One Percent of Americans Works For The Defense Department’
Chicago Police Allegedly Beat Up Man Who Videotaped Them Dragging Man Outside of Squad Car
Published 1, September 13, 2011 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Criminal law , Free Speech 17 Comments
Brad Williams has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago police department after he said he was beaten by police in response to his filming an officer holding and dragging a man outside of his squad car.
Continue reading ‘Chicago Police Allegedly Beat Up Man Who Videotaped Them Dragging Man Outside of Squad Car’
Lawsuit Alleges That 40 Officers in Texas Raided Strip Club, Found No Drugs, But Left With Thousands in Cash and Tokens
Published 1, September 13, 2011 Bizarre , Criminal law 23 Comments
Police in Edinburg are being sued after 40 officers raided a “gentlemen’s club” called Jaguars Gold Club in search of drugs. They found none, but handcuffed the owners and employees and allegedly left with $1,500 in cash and another $8,000 worth of club “tokens.”
North Carolina Sued For Issuing Pro-Life License Plates While Refusing To Issue Pro-Choice Plates
Published 1, September 13, 2011 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Politics , Religion , Society 15 Comments
The State of North Carolina is about to pay litigation costs to fight for the right to favor pro-life citizens over pro-choose citizens. The state has approved “Choose Life” license plates while steadfastly refusing to allow a pro-choose plate. Now, at a time of budget shortfalls and unemployment, the state will pay to litigate for the right to discriminate on the basis of the content of such messages.
Continue reading ‘North Carolina Sued For Issuing Pro-Life License Plates While Refusing To Issue Pro-Choice Plates’
Human RIghts Group Documents Use Of Infamous Militia Forces By Afghan and U.S. Governments
Published 1, September 12, 2011 International , Military , Politics 19 Comments
For those who have questioned why we are still losing lives and spending billions in Afghanistan, the latest report from the Human Rights Watch may add to your confusion. It appears that the Afghan and U.S. governments have decided to defeat infamous Islamic militia forces by handing over power to them. Militias accused of horrific abuses have been quietly moved into the police forces in a desperate attempt by both governments to stem attacks from insurgent forces.
What a Yahoo: Former CEO Bartz Could Lose $10 Million For Calling Board A Bunch of “Doofuses”
Published 1, September 12, 2011 Bizarre , Society 25 Comments
Most people fired have a choice word or two about their former employers. It was therefore not surprising that former Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz wanted to let off some steam after she was canned. The legal question is whether it was worth $10 million to Bartz because that is how much it could cost under a standard clause in her contract. She may now have to put her money where he mouth is.
Continue reading ‘What a Yahoo: Former CEO Bartz Could Lose $10 Million For Calling Board A Bunch of “Doofuses”’
Controversy Erupts After Obama Gaffe Goes Missing From PBS Transcript
Published 1, September 12, 2011 Bizarre , Media , Politics 53 Comments
David Drumm has already addressed the mistake made by President Barack Obama in his jobs speech to Congress when he called Abraham Lincoln “the founder” of the Republican Party. It is a common mistake, as David points out. However, I am more interested in what appears to be a bit of helpful editing by PBS. The gaffe has mysteriously disappeared like last year’s pledge drive.
Continue reading ‘Controversy Erupts After Obama Gaffe Goes Missing From PBS Transcript’
Dutch Court Orders Woman To Stop Calling Ex-Boyfriend . . . After Over 65,000 Calls in One Year
Published 1, September 12, 2011 Bizarre , Criminal law 11 Comments
In many states, a pattern of two or three incidents can be the basis for a stalking charge. A 42-year-old woman in the Hague proved to be something of an overachieving stalker when she called her ex-boyfriend over 65,000 times in one year.
Continue reading ‘Dutch Court Orders Woman To Stop Calling Ex-Boyfriend . . . After Over 65,000 Calls in One Year’
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Following up on a previous post titled Libyan Rebels Claim To Find Evidence That CIA Helped Capture Libyan Dissidents and Used Regime For Renditions and Torture:
Human Rights Watch (HRW), an organization that discovered hundreds of archived documents in Tripoli, said the documents provide evidence of US and UK complicity in torture crimes in Libya during the rule of Col. Muammar Gaddafi. From Human Rights Watch: “Among the files were documents confirming that both the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the United Kingdom’s MI6 sent terrorism suspects to Libya for detention – despite Libya’s notorious record for torturing prisoners.” The documents appear to show that Libyan cooperation with both the Central Intelligence Agency and Britain’s MI-6 agency under Gaddafi was closer than had been acknowledged in the past. According to the New York Times, the CIA sent terrorism suspects to Libya for interrogation at least eight times.
Amputee Must Prove It Every Three Years to Keep Handicapped Parking Permit
Published 1, September 11, 2011 Bizarre , International 91 CommentsSubmitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
It’s nice to see our government off the “Stupid Train” for once. Swedish officials continue to require Fredrik Jansson of Skelleftea to verify that he has trouble walking after his leg was surgically amputated ten years ago. Jansson who suffered the procedure as part of his bid to fight off bone cancer, finds the regulation ridiculous. He is mandated to see a physician to verify the loss every three years.
Continue reading ‘Amputee Must Prove It Every Three Years to Keep Handicapped Parking Permit’
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
On November 9, 2011, Justice Antonin Scalia will preside over the reenactment of Texas v. White (1869). The event is part of the Frank C. Jones Reenactment Lecture hosted by the Supreme Court Historical Society.
Each side get 20 minutes to present their case and then Justice Scalia will render his opinion. These reenactments are apparently enjoyed by the Justices who participate.
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Gust Blogger
Dionette L. Price may need some basic crime lessons. Seeking to carjack a vehicle driven by Rayna Garrett, Mr. Price opted to stand in the middle of busy U.S. Highway 71. When Ms. Garrett attempted to drive around the would-be felon, Price leaped onto the hood of her car, brandished a .357 semi-automatic handgun, and told her, through the glass, to “..drive or I’ll blow your head off.” Ms. Garrett obliged the 26 year-old and took him directly to the Kansas City police station garage. Finding no one in the garage, she rammed the door and alerted the attendant. A foot chase ensued between the Kansas City police and our ersatz “Mr. Toad,” resulting in felonious restraint and weapons charges.
Source: Yahoo News
~Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Is This Man The Founder Of The Republican Party?
Published 1, September 11, 2011 Politics 16 Comments-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Not quite. The Republican Party was founded in 1854 by a coalition that included anti-slavery activists. The Republican Party name was christened in an editorial written by New York newspaper magnate Horace Greeley. The first Republican National Convention was held in the Musical Fund Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 17 to June 19, 1856, where John C. Frémont was nominated for the President of the United States and William L. Dayton was nominated for vice-president over Abraham Lincoln.
Yet President Obama, in Thursday’s speech before Congress, said: “We all remember Abraham Lincoln as the leader who saved our Union. Founder of the Republican Party.”
Continue reading ‘Is This Man The Founder Of The Republican Party?’
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