Halloween is the favorite holiday for all torts professors and personal injury lawyers. (Indeed, I am convinced it was invented by a personal injury lawyer). Common carrier hay rides, lighting vegetables on fire, handing out foodstuffs without a permit . . . It’s the most wonderful day of the year. So, with no further ado, here is this year’s annual Spooky Torts list of actual cases from Halloween.
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Archive for October, 2008
Carbon Politics: Save the Polar Bears, Eat an Illegal Alien?
Published 1, October 31, 2008 Bizarre , Environment , Politics , Society 6 Comments
In this increasingly bizarre political season, this one is off the charts. An anti-immigration group has linked illegal immigration to global warming. The video explains that their carbon footprint would be lower if they remained in their original countries.
Continue reading ‘Carbon Politics: Save the Polar Bears, Eat an Illegal Alien?’
Bush Seeking To De-Regulate Environmental Protection
Published 1, October 31, 2008 Environment , Politics , Society 13 Comments
After years of de-regulation led to the current financial meltdown, the Bush Administration is now promising to re-regulate the industry. However, it is quietly moving to de-regulate environmental protection laws. These regulatory changes violate a core tradition in American politics. At the end of an Administration, sitting presidents have declined to make major changes or issue new policies that bind the incoming president. Here, Bush is seeking to rollback on environmental rules to cause years of delay before any new president can fully protect the environment.
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Bush Arrested for Hanging Obama in Effigy
Published 1, October 31, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Politics , Society 4 Comments
Ok, not that Bush. This was Hunter Bush, 21, of Lexington, Kentucky who was arrested with Joe Fischer, 22, a UK student, for hanging an effigy of Barack Obama from a tree. The charge was for disorderly conduct, though it is unclear why these men were arrested while a recent example of hanging Palin was not made into a criminal matter.
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Shocking the Noble Boy: McCain Supporter Shocks Nine-Year-Old Boy with Electrified Campaign Sign
Published 1, October 31, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Politics , Society , Torts 27 Comments
Just days after a McCain supporter in Ohio shot a teenager for knocking over his sign, Shawn Turschak of Chapel Hill, North Carolina shocked a nine-year-old boy after electrifying his campaign sign to protect it. What is unbelievable is that the police will not charge Turschak for this reckless act. In this case, the boy was carrying an Obama sign, but the boy’s father, Andrew Noble, insists that he just wanted to see how the sign was put together and was not trying to tear it down.
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Not Kosher: Former Head of Nation’s Largest Kosher Meat-Packing Plant Arrested on Immigration Charges
Published 1, October 30, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Religion , Society 8 Comments 
Sholom Rubashkin, 49, a powerful member of the Hasidic Jewish community and former head of the kosher plant Agriprocessors, is now in police custody after being arrested for harboring illegal immigrants and aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft. The Rubaskhin family has a long checkered history with the law.
Will Alaskans Stand Up to Stevens – Now?
Published 1, October 30, 2008 Bizarre , Columns , Constitutional Law , Politics , Society 6 Comments
Below is today’s column in Roll Call where I discuss the Stevens conviction and the dismal state of the Alaskan delegation. The voters in Alaska will have a increasingly difficult time claiming to espouse “small town values” and “law and order politics” when they routinely reelect corrupt politicians.
Not So Nice N Easy: Cop Arrested for Stealing Donuts
Published 1, October 30, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 13 Comments
Sgt. Steve Brody of the Morrisville State College University Police seemed intent on fulfilling stereotypes when he was arrested for stealing donuts. The New York college officer was nailed at the Valero Nice N Easy and is accused of taking $30 worth of pastries on at least 17 occasions.
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It’s Official: New York Times Says it is Ruth Bader Ginsburg Not Ginsberg
Published 1, October 30, 2008 Bizarre , Courts , Media , Society 1 Comment
The New York Times has misspelled her name over a dozen times since 2001 but it is finally stating publicly that, for the future, it will be Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and not Ginsberg. However, starting today it will be John Paul Stephens.
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Elizabeth Dole Accuses Opponent of Being “Godless” to Save Sinking Campaign
Published 1, October 30, 2008 Bizarre , Politics , Religion , Society 40 Comments
Sen. Elizabeth Dole appears unwilling to simply run on her faith. She is now running an ad that accuses her opponent state Sen. Kay Hagan of being “godless” because she was seen in the company of atheists at a fundraiser. Hagan is now taking legal action to stop the political ads. Despite a cultivated image of Southern charm, Dole has now shown that she will sink to any low to get reelected. However, Hagan will have a very tough time getting a court to regulate political speech.
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Shooting the Wise Guy: McCain Supporter in Ohio Shoots Teenager Who Knocked Over Campaign Sign
Published 1, October 30, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Politics , Society 22 Comments
Kenneth Rowles, 50, was charged in Ohio with felonious assault after he shot at two teenagers who had knocked over his McCain campaign sign. Patrick Wise, 16, had kicked the sign and then ran to a waiting SUV. Rowles fired a rifle three times at their fleeing SUV, hitting the vehicle all three times and wounding Kyree Flowers, 17.
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Sarkozy Loses Parody Case in French Court Over Voodoo Dolls
Published 1, October 30, 2008 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Politics , Society , Torts 2 Comments
France has recently seem a rollback in free speech rights, but there remains enough in the country to defeat the ridiculous attempt by President Nicolas Sarkozy’s to stop sales of a “voodoo doll” in his image.
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North Carolina Officer Fired and Charged with Bigamy
Published 1, October 29, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 7 Comments
A Monroe, N.C. police officer Darryl Howard had one wife too many. He has been fired and is facing bigamy charges after one of his wives filed a criminal charges with his colleagues.
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Busted at the Fill-A-Buster: State Senator Arrested After Videotaped Stuffing Payoff into Bra
Published 1, October 29, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Politics , Society 8 Comments
I am not sure which is worse, the criminal charge or the video for Democratic State Senator Dianne Wilkerson. In a video to be shown at her trial for bribery, Wilkerson is shown allegedly stuffing a $1,000 cash payoff into her bra during a meeting at an aptly named restaurant — the Fill-A-Buster.
Ex-Judge Apologizes for E-Mail Comparing Obama’s Election to Holocaust
Published 1, October 29, 2008 Bizarre , Courts , Politics , Society 9 Comments
An ex-judge has apologized after the McCain campaign and Republicans denounced her email sent to Jewish voters in Pennsylvania suggesting that presidential candidate Barack Obama taught members of a community group “to commit voter registration fraud.” She also compared a vote for Obama ignoring “the warning signs in the 1930s and 1940s.”
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Hairstyle Strike is Struck: South Carolina Rules that Dreadlocks Are Not a Race-Neutral Basis for Striking a Juror
Published 1, October 29, 2008 Uncategorized 3 Comments
The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that striking a juror from a civil jury for wearing dreadlocks is not race neutral. Remarkably, there was a dissent filed in the close 3-2 decision by two justices who believe that it is appropriate to strike a juror over hairstyle.
She Asked For It? Another Woman Stoned to Death Under Sharia Law in Somalia
Published 1, October 29, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Religion , Society 16 Comments
Another woman has been stoned to death for adultery — this time in Somalia. In Mogadishu, thousands of people gathered to watch 50 men stone Aisho Ibrahim Dhuhulow to death according to the sentence of an Islamic court imposing Sharia law. Local Islamist leader Sheikh Hayakallah said the woman wanted the punishment.
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Doctor Moreau’s Island Paradise: Hawaiian Tenants Claims Landlord Used Them For Medical Experiments
Published 1, October 29, 2008 Bizarre , Society , Torts 1 Comment
And you think your landlord is the pits. In Kalihi, Hawaii, officials shutdown a collapsing building only to hear from tenants that they were allegedly subjected to medical experiments by their landlord, ex-licensed chiropractor Daniel Cunningham.
Continue reading ‘Doctor Moreau’s Island Paradise: Hawaiian Tenants Claims Landlord Used Them For Medical Experiments’
Kentucky Restaurant Owner Criminally Charged Over Halloween Prank
Published 1, October 28, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 1 CommentPolice have charged the manager of a chicken restaurant of making a false report after an employee panicked during a Halloween prank. Joe Watkins of the Chicken Ranch restaurant in Paris, Kentucky thought it was funny to lie in a pool of blood on the floor. The police were not amused.
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Drunkenstein’s Demise: Arizona Man Who Planned Super Bowl Massacre Gets 366 days in Prison
Published 1, October 28, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 13 Comments
Kurt William Havelock, 36, was sentenced this week to a year and a day for his plot to massacre people at the Super Bowl football game in Glendale, Arizona. He was bringing a semiautomatic rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition to a parking lot near University of Phoenix Stadium and sent letters to media promising to be “swift and bloody.” He was upset with this inability to open a bar named “Drunkenstein’s.”
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Missouri Deputy Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Motorist and Then Trying to Destroy the Evidence on His Dash Camera
Published 1, October 28, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 4 Comments
A former Missouri deputy has pleaded guilty to federal charges of using excessive force and obstructing justice during a traffic stop. Donald A. Devens of Smithville admitted that he not only assaulted motorist Wesley A. Lewis in August 2005 (by kicking him in the groin and punching him in the throat when he was handcuffed), but he then tried to destroy the tape on the dashcam. It didn’t work.
Video: Family Denounces Obama as Children Make Monkey Sounds
Published 1, October 28, 2008 Bizarre , Politics , Society 4 Comments
If you wonder how this country still raises guys like the two neo-Nazis who wanted to kill Obama (while living with their grandparents and reading Guns-n-Ammo), take a look at this video. Here we have a family chanting “No ‘Bama” while the children make monkey sounds. Note the adults look directly at the older girl making monkey sounds and say nothing.
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Police Arrest Two Neo-Nazis Planning Assassination of Barack Obama
Published 1, October 28, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Politics , Society 14 Comments
Two men have been charged with threatening Barack Obama and planning his assassination. allegedly also planned to kill 102 black people. The two suspects two suspects—Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tenn., and Paul Schlesselman 18, of Helena-West Helena, Ark.— are both skin head, white supremists.
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JPMorgan Chase Executive Admits that Bailout Will Be Used Not To Make New Loans But to Buy Other Companies
Published 1, October 28, 2008 Bizarre , Congress , Politics , Society 35 Comments
For those who opposed the massive bailout, a report in the New York Times may be little surprise. A reporter was able to get into a telephone conference call with JPMorgan Chase to hear executives discuss the $25 billion it received from Congress. Just four days after the bailout, JPMorgan Chase’s chief executive, Jamie Dimon held the conference call during which an executive admitted that Chase has no intention to use the money to make new loans but instead will use it to try to take over other companies.
Grand Slam: Sen. Ted Stevens Found Guilty on All Seven Counts
Published 1, October 27, 2008 Bizarre , Congress , Criminal law , Lawyering , Society 12 CommentsIn a major victory against congressional corruption, Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska has been found guilty on all seven counts in his federal trial. Despite numerous blunders by the prosecution, the evidence proved too strong for Senator No who has been an infamous figure for congressional ethics advocates for years.
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Comedy of Errors: Stevens Jurors Find Prosecutorial Error in Indictment
Published 1, October 27, 2008 Uncategorized 1 CommentIf Sen. Ted Stevens is not acquitted in his corruption trial, it is not for a lack of effort by the prosecutors who have again been accused of fumbling. This time the prosecutorial error was found not by the court or the defense, but the jurors themselves. The jury noted that the indictment states that Stevens marked “no” in his 2001 report on whether he received any gifts. In fact, he marked “yes.”
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Trokosi: Girls Mades “Slaves to the Gods” In Ghana
Published 1, October 27, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Religion , Society 3 CommentsI
n one of the world’s most disgraceful religious practices, girls (some younger than ten years old) continue to be made “slaves to the Gods” by priests in Ghana who abuse and sexually assault the girls — serving as surrogates for the Gods. While now illegal in Ghana, Trokosi continues to be practiced in the open and not a single arrest has been made to end the practice.
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The Great American Pumpkin Shoot: Eight-Year-Old In Massachusetts Shoots Himself in the Head with Fully Automatic Uzi
Published 1, October 27, 2008 Bizarre , Society , Torts 21 Comments
An 8-year-old boy, Christopher Bizilj (Bah-SEAL) of Ashford, Conn., died after he accidentally shot himself in the head at a gun club during the annual “Great New England Pumpkin Shoot”, which features automatic weapons. It appears that organizers (or the boy’s parents) see no problem is handing an eight-year-old a fully loaded, fully automatic Uzi. At a minimum, one would think that an adult would hold or secure the weapon when a young boy was pulling the trigger on a submachine gun (shown to the left).
Muslim Cleric Marries Twelve-Year-Old Girl
Published 1, October 27, 2008 Bizarre , Religion , Society 3 Comments
In the latest outrage involving an under-aged bride, Muslim cleric Pujianto Cahyo Widianto married a 12-year-old girl in the Semarang, Indonesia. Widianto reportedly selected the girl from a pool of 20 girls and took her to Singapore as his new bride with his first wife. Widianto runs an Islamic boarding school and they were married in an Islamic ceremony.
This is only the latest in a long line of such abuses in Islamic ceremonies, here and here and here.
For the full story, click here.
Federal Jury Awards $3 Million to Woman Wrongly Identified as Shoplifter and Counterfeiter
Published 1, October 27, 2008 Bizarre , Society , Torts 6 Comments
Target was hit with a sizable $3 million award to Rita Cantrell of Greenville, South Carolina. The award included punitive damages after Target sent out an email to businesses stating that Cantrell was a shoplifter trying to pass counterfeit cash.
Family Affairs: Catholic Church Throws $130,000 Party for Pope’s Brother as Schuller Dumps His Son
Published 1, October 27, 2008 Bizarre , Religion , Society 3 Comments
It appears that a vow of poverty does not stand in the way of a good Birthday bash. A Catholic diocese in southern Germany plans to spend 100,000 euros (130,000 dollars) on a birthday bash at the Vatican for the Pope Benedict XVI’s elder brother, Georg Ratzinger. In the meantime, Crystal Cathedral founder televangelist Robert Schuller has forced his own son out of control of his church.
Run to the Border: Couple Finds Bag of Pot in Taco
Published 1, October 26, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 3 Comments
A Colorado couple objected to the topping on one of their tacos at a Del Taco restaurant when they were served a bag of pot. While waiter Dennis Klermund, 26, initially denied that the pot was his, more pot was found in his locker and he now faces charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
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Jordan’s Grand Mufti Issues Fatwa Against Poet Who is Then Arrested and Criminally Charged for Insulting Islam
Published 1, October 26, 2008 Bizarre , Media , Politics , Religion , Society 1 Comment
Journalists and artists in Jordan have rallied around poet Islam Samhan who was indicted for the crime of incorporating verses of the Holy Koran into his poetry about love. This followed a fatwa issued by the country’s mufti who declared him an infidel and his poetry to be blasphemy.
Obama Campaign Worker Attacked in Wisconsin
Published 1, October 26, 2008 Bizarre , Politics , Society 2 Comments
Despite the enormous attention given to false allegations of an attack on a McCain supporter in Pennsylvania, there has been virtually no attention of the well-supported allegation of an Obama worker being attacked in Racine, Wisconsin. Nancy Takehara tells WISN-TV she drove from Chicago to help canvass a neighborhood and got into a heated exchange with Ronald Goetsch over allegations of voter improprieties in other states. She says that Goetsch grabbed her by the back of the neck and was pounding her head and screaming.
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Blacklist: Obama Campaign Punishes Station for Tough Questions of Biden
Published 1, October 26, 2008 Bizarre , Media , Politics , Society 46 Comments
Florida WFTV-Channel 9’s Barbara West thought that she was using her five minutes with Sen. Joe Biden to get at the toughest questions being raised by critics of the campaign. None of the usual softball, scripted questions in the video below. The choice reportedly resulted in the campaign canceling future interviews with the station. Blacklisting is a Nixonian trick and not something that most modern campaigns openly embrace.
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Catholic Bishop Suspended After Adopting 26-Year-Old Woman
Published 1, October 26, 2008 Bizarre , Religion , Society 1 Comment
Bishop John Thattungal, 58, raised a few eyebrows when he announced that he had decided to adopt in the Catholic church where celibate priests are married to the bride of the Church. Parishioners in India were even more surprised when they adopted child turned out to be a 26-year-old woman.
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Cannibal Mother Who Skinned Son and Forced Him to Eat His Own Flesh is Given Nine Years
Published 1, October 25, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Justice , Society 8 Comments
Ok, I am a bit confused. Klara Mauerova, 31, is a member of a cannibal cult in teh Czech Republic who ortured her son in a locked cellar while relatives skinned him and forced him to eat his own flesh. The sentence: nine years. That is less than a tax evasion sentence.
In a major victory for the media, the Florida Supreme Court throw out a lawsuit where the Pensacola News Journal was successfully sued for false light of road-building contractor Joe Anderson. Anderson sued over a series of articles in 1998 about environmental issues surrounding the paving company he founded, Anderson Columbia. The story included references being on probation for fraud in 1988 when he shot and killed his wife in a Dixie County hunting accident. This was only days after he filed for divorce. The substantive decision came in an equally interesting case of Jews for Jesus v. Rapp.
Nebraska Supreme Overturns Child Assault Conviction
Published 1, October 25, 2008 Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , Society 4 Comments
Steven Parker, 42, has received a new trial by unanimous vote after his 2006 conviction for child sexual assault on a 11-year-old child was thrown out due to the placement of a screen around him at trial so his alleged victim could not see him.
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Lipstick on a Pac: Palin Spent $32,800 on Hair and Make-Up
Published 1, October 25, 2008 Uncategorized 8 Comments
New reports show that “Hockey Mom” Sarah Palin spent $32,800 on hair and make-up in just two weeks. At that rate, you buy and could lipstick over 64,000 pigs. You could also pay the annual salary and medical expenses for one average citizen for what Palin spent on hair and make-up in two weeks. In the meantime, Palin has now given her deposition in the troopergate investigation where an investigation has already found that she acted unethically in the firing of a state employee.
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Ha, Ha, Thump: GOP Election Officer Distributes Letter Calling Obama “Black Hitler”
Published 1, October 24, 2008 Uncategorized 8 Comments
Johnson County Clerk Jill Jackson in Franklin, Indiana waited until after hours to put copies of a chain letter on the desks of employees that called Sen. Barack Obama a “young, black Adolf Hitler” and discussed the absence of white pride. The problem is that a video camera captured her at 5:27 p.m. on the Friday of Labor Day weekend. When she was confronted by police, she insisted it was a joke — she merely forgot to tell anyone. Here’s one: what goes “Ha, Ha, Thump”? — a disgraced Indiana clerk laughing her head off.
Chicago is set for a vote on the new high school targeting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual students on November 19th. Below is today’s column on the school, which I reluctantly oppose as I did the Harvey Milk high school.
McCain Supporter Falsely Alleged Politically Motivated Physical Attack
Published 1, October 24, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Politics , Society 50 Comments
A Pennsylvania woman says that she was attacked at an ATM in Pittsburgh by a robber, who proceeded to carve a “B” in her face when he saw her McCain bumper sticker. It turns out to be a lie and Ashley Todd, 20, of College Park, Texas, will be charged with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor, and may face more charges.
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More Problems on Stevens Jury: Deliberations Suspended After Death of Juror’s Father
Published 1, October 24, 2008 Bizarre , Courts , Criminal law 1 CommentFirst there was the gross prosecutorial misconduct. Then there was the juror misconduct. Now, another juror has left after the death of her father — suspending deliberations. Sen. Ted Stevens’ trial has had all of the sense of control and predictability as a falling locomotive.
Video: Oklahoma Police Officer Shoots Dog and Then Allegedly Lies
Published 1, October 24, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society , Torts 24 Comments
Tammy Christopher is suing Grady County Oklahoma after Deputy Sean Kinght shot her dog. While the police officer told her that the dog charged at him when he stopped for direction while serving tax warrants, the video appears to contradict that claim and show Knight.
shooting the dog in the head.
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Trouble in the Stevens Jury: Juror Number Nine Triggers Hearing
Published 1, October 23, 2008 Bizarre , Courts , Criminal law 6 CommentsFor most of the trial, many observers were waiting for the infamous temper of Sen. Ted Stevens (R. Alaska) to be unleashed before the jury. It now appears that the attention should have been directed on the ninth juror from the left. The other jurors have formally requested that Judge Sullivan replace Juror Number Nine who has reportedly been causing a ruckus in the jury room. It is only the latest problem in this star-crossed trial. Prior evidence of prosecutorial misconduct now joins juror misconduct in the trial of Ted Stevens.
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Louisiana Court Recognizes Marriage Between Couisins as Valid
Published 1, October 23, 2008 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Politics , Religion , Society 7 Comments
In a very interesting decision (with implications for same-sex marriage), a Louisiana court has held that the state must recognize a foreign marriage between cousins despite the fact that such a marriage would be null and void in the statem The 1st Circuit Appeals court ruled that there is no strong public policy that would bar such a recognition. The case involved a divorce case where the East Baton Rouge Parish Family Court judge declined jurisdiction.
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Judge Bars Gang Members and Associates From Distributing Mongol Logo and Symbol
Published 1, October 23, 2008 Bizarre , Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , Society 5 Comments
A federal court has issued an interesting ruling after the arrest of various members of the Mongols motorcycle gang: gang members, their family and their associates are enjoined from wearing, licensing, selling or distributing the gang’s logo. It is a novel and questionable order, in my view, by U.S. District Court Judge Florence-Marie Cooper.
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Preacher Tony Alamo Accused of Having Nine-Year-Old Wife
Published 1, October 23, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 3 Comments
In the large library of truly bad mugshots, this just may be the worst. Preacher Tony Alamo’s mugshot was released with new allegations that he had multiple wives, including a nine-year-old girl.
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Ok, I will miss her. Gov. Sarah Palin today not only stated that she is an intellectual (despite all outward appearances and available tests would indicate) but that she wanted a sixth child named Zamboni. I have been searching for video of this interview to determine if the Zamboni thing was a joke, but it appears that most viewers concluded that she was serious.
Continue reading ‘Zamboni Palin: Track’s Missing Sibling’
Florida Police Officer Fired for Tasering Teen for Fun at Party
Published 1, October 22, 2008 Bizarre , Society 18 Comments
Eustis, Florida Officer Dan Nesmith was the life of the party when he tasered a 15-year-old boy for fun as the crowd cheered. He then reportedly returned to drinking with the kids, including possible underaged drinkers. He is now a party animal and an ex-cop.
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Video: Obama Sign Thief Caught on Tape
Published 1, October 22, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Politics , Society 7 Comments
I love this video from Phoenix, Arizona. There have been the usual complaints from both camps about vandals ruining or taking signs. Now, one of these creeps has been caught on tape and is now the subject of a police complaint. As these videos reveal, this was not a unique occurrence.
Lipstick on a PAC: Palin Criticized for Using Campaign Funds for Clothing and Alaskan Funds for Kids’ Travel
Published 1, October 22, 2008 Constitutional Law , Justice , Torts 14 CommentsIf the difference between a Hockey Mom and a pit bull is lipstick, Gov. Sarah Palin may also want to throw in “and $150,000 in expenses.” It turns out that the lipstick is paid for by the Republican National Committee. This week Palin has been hammered by disclosures that she spent $150,000 of campaign money on clothes and make-up. In the meantime, another report has disclosed that she used state funds in Alaska to pay for the travel of her children — including changing records to indicate that they were on official travel despite the fact that the event organizers did not invite family members.
Acting Her Age: 76-Year-Old Woman Arrested for 73rd Time
Published 1, October 22, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 2 Comments
Katherine Kelly is a one-woman crime wave with 73 arrests in her 76 years (those first three years appear to have been spent as a criminal apprentice). Her latest arrest was for stealing a police decoy wallet in a supermarket and stuffing it in her bra. In addition to 73 arrests, she has 36 alias.
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Dr. Phil Sued by O.J. Simpson Memorabilia Dealer
Published 1, October 22, 2008 Bizarre , Society , Torts 10 Comments
Dr. Phil is again in hot water. This time, he is being sued by Thomas Riccio — the memorabilia dealer who led O.J. Simpson to a hotel room to regain sports memorabilia. In his torts action, Riccio says that Philip McGraw and Stage 29 Media committed defamation, fraud, and infliction of emotional distress in editing his interview to leave a false impression.
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Not Such a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: Tulane Law Student Accused of Stealing Shoe of Mister Rogers
Published 1, October 21, 2008 Academics , Bizarre , Criminal law , Lawyering , Society 11 Comments
Faculty members at Tulane Law School (where I began my teaching career) are searching for the culprit in a dastardly crime: the theft of one of Mr. Rogers’ shoes from the Children’s Museum during the Barrister’s Ball. It appears that someone took a different meaning to his question “could you be mine?” when they spotted the unguarded display. As Mister Rogers might say, the question is now “can you return it?” — I knew you could.
Afghan Journalism Student Sentenced to 20 Years for Asking About Women’s Rights in Journalism Class
Published 1, October 21, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Religion , Society 5 Comments
As the fighting in Afghanistan continues to worsen, there are new questions about the government that we are fighting to maintain. An Afghan appeals court sentenced journalism student Parwez Kambakhsh, 24, to twenty years in prison for asking questions about women’s rights under Islam. The sentence for blasphemy was considered a bizarre civil liberties victory since he was facing the death penalty.
Brigham Young University Denies Diploma to Creator of Shirtless Morman “Men on a Mission” Calendar
Published 1, October 21, 2008 Academics , Bizarre , Religion , Society 26 Comments
When Chad Hardy created the “Men on a Mission” Calendar of shirtless Mormon hunks, he thought is was a fun idea. Church elders disagreed and excommunicated him. Now, Brigham Young University has denied him a diploma and said that he cannot receive on until he is reinstated by the Mormon church. This could make for a very interesting constitutional and contractual challenge.
Nuptial Slip and Fall: Negligent Best Man Causes Wedding Disaster on Video
Published 1, October 21, 2008 Bizarre , Society , Torts 1 Comment
Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something . . . dry.
The video below shows the yet untapped potential of nuptial slip and falls.
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Pig Skin Could Land Jester in Pen: Ohio 89-Year-Old Grandma Charged For Keeping Football in Yard
Published 1, October 21, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 4 Comments
The police in Blue Ash, Ohio have finally got their man. Well, in this case, their 80-year-old grandma. Edna Jester was tired of balls going into her yard, so the last time she refused to give it back. Her neighbor called the police and she is now charged with petty theft.
Rep. Michele Bachmann Calls for Investigation of Anti-American Members of Congress and Suggests Obama is Anti-American — Then Denies the Statements
Published 1, October 20, 2008 Bizarre , Politics , Society 31 Comments
Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann is still reaping the whirlwind from her comments on Hardball calling Obama’s view anti-American and calling for an investigation of members of Congress for anti-American views. After the comments were widely attacked as McCarthyism, Bachmann denied saying them but the damage appears to have been done in the sixth Minnesota district race. Challenger Democrat Elwyn Tinklenberg has experienced an influx of donations after Backmann emergence on the national stage.
Set for Shag: Michigan Man Caught in Flagrante Delicto With Car Wash Vacuum
Published 1, October 20, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 17 Comments
Ok, I have been a criminal defense attorney for over two decades but I am not sure how you charge this crime. In Thomas Township, Michigan, police arrested a 29-year-old man for “receiving sexual favors from a vacuum” at a car wash. As Hoover once advertised, “Nobody does it like Hoover.”
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British Woman Killed in Kabul for Working With Christian Charity
Published 1, October 20, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Religion , Society 4 Comments
Gayle Williams, 34, a British citizen working with the Christian charity Serve Afghanistan was gunned down on Monday — accusing by the Taliban of spreading Christianity. The death reflects a continuing growth of Taliban actions. Williams had been pulled out of Kandahar due to the growing violence and threats in that city against foreigners.
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New Hampshire Passes Special Moose-Hunting Law Allows Terminally Ill Citizens to Kill Moose
Published 1, October 20, 2008 Politics , Society 3 Comments 
In New Hampshire, state Rep. Bob L’Heureux was concerned that seriously or terminally ill citizens might not be able to bag a Moose, so he has passed a law allowing special hunting permits for children and adults.
Thou Shalt Not File Frivolous Lawsuits: School Board Seeks Way to Stop Endless Lawsuits by Alabama Preacher
Published 1, October 19, 2008 Bizarre , Courts , Lawyering , Religion , Society 25 Comments
Alabama preacher Orlando Bethel and his wife Glynis appear to like render upon Caesar what is Caesar’s in the form of a continual stream of lawsuits. Now the Baldwin County’s school board has asked a judge block further lawsuits. The Bethels responded, you guessed it, by filing another lawsuit for $5 million.
Photographer Attacked by Jewish Settlers While Taking Pictures of Palestinian Farmers
Published 1, October 19, 2008 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Jewish settlers attacked a photographer who was taking pictures of Palestinian farmers picking olives in the West Bank on Saturday — an attack filmed by AP Television. One man then hit a woman who tried to retrieve the camera that the settlers took from the photographer. Palestinians have long complained about such attacks.
“This Can’t Happen in America . . . Ohio Maybe But Not America”
Published 1, October 19, 2008 Bizarre , Politics , Society 12 Comments
Homer Simpson tried to warn us about electronic voting machines that changed votes for Obama into votes for McCain. Now, in West Virginia, voters are complaining that what happened to Homer in this clip happened to them. As Homer might say, “this can’t happen in West Virginia, Ohio maybe but not West Virginia.”
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Contempt in Four Easy Steps: Illegal Cha-Cha Lessons Leads Arthur Murray Dance Instructor
Published 1, October 19, 2008 Uncategorized 5 Comments
Dance instructor Eric Rush is now sitting in jail for criminal cha-cha lessons. This might be hard to explain to fellow inmates who can boast manslaughter or car-jacking for their earning their bones, but Rush literally danced his way into jail by violating an order not to teach dance under an agreement with his former employer Arthur Murray. Judge Roach in Texas did not like Rush’s stomping around on a dance floor and sent him to jail where he is now desperately trying to look like a psycho gang banger.
Video: Palin Plays Self on Saturday Night
Published 1, October 19, 2008 Politics , Society Leave a Comment
Palin was hilarious last night on SNL and here are the videos. Just click here and here.
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Palin Loses to Beluga Whales
Published 1, October 18, 2008 Environment , Politics , Society 1 Comment
Gov. Sarah Palin lost another environmental fight this week — to the Bush Administration. The Interior Department has decided that the beautiful white Beluga whales are indeed endangered despite Palin’s efforts to block such protection. Earlier, Palin failed in her efforts to block protections for the polar bear.
Pressing the Flesh: Two Congressmen Face Public Scandals Over Affairs
Published 1, October 18, 2008 Bizarre , Congress , Criminal law , Politics , Society 1 Comment
This week has seen two members of Congress forced into public over affairs. U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, Mark Foley’s replacement in Florida, has admitted to “multiple affairs” but insisted that (while immoral) they were perfectly legal. At least one was with a former staff member. In the meantime, in Virginia, Rep. Vito Fossella was convicted on Friday of drunk driving in an incident that exposes his affair and out-of-wedlock child.
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Man Dies After Trying to Blow Up Georgia Law Firm
Published 1, October 18, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Lawyering , Society 2 Comments
Police in Dalton, Georgia are investigating an explosion at a law office and killed Lloyd Cantrell, 71, who is believed to have set off the blast. One lawyer and three employees were hurt at the small firm of McCamy, Phillips, Tuggle & Fordham. The firm deals with wrongful deaths from their small converted mansion, though not this type of wrongful death actions. This remains one of the continuing perils of this profession when over-wrought individuals come to seek counsel or contest cases.
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Supreme Court Rules Against GOP Voter Challenge into Ohio While Obama Campaign Calls for Investigation in FBI/McCain Links
Published 1, October 18, 2008 Courts , Lawyering , Politics , Society 20 Comments
This week is ending with a bang with the Supreme Court reversing a decision of the Sixth Circuit that ordered Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to produce the list of mismatched voters — as many as 200,000. The Obama camp went on the offensive has called for the current special prosecutor to investigate the alleged coordination between the FBI investigation and the McCain campaign — a connection that has some obvious similarities to what occurred in 2006. The Rachel Maddow show last night to discuss the Obama call for an expanded investigation.
Former Pennsylvania Judge Michael Joyce Faces Criminal Fraud Trial
Published 1, October 17, 2008 Bizarre , Courts , Criminal law , Society , Torts 5 Comments
The trial of former Superior Court Judge, Michael T. Joyce, on criminal fraud is now set but will be held in Pittsburgh in a venue change. The case, involving claims of false insurance claims, presents an interesting intersection between torts and criminal law — as well as judicial ethics.
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Florida Man Sues Strip Club for Negligent Pole Dance
Published 1, October 17, 2008 Bizarre , Society , Torts 9 Comments
In appears that strippers are appealing in courts around the country this week and not just in the federal Denver courthouse. In Fort Lauderdale, Charles Privette, 35, has filed a tort action against a strip joint called the Booby Trap after a stripper’s high heel flew off during a pole dance and hit him in the head.
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Monkey Business: California Man Stages Mexican Picture to Hide Marmoset
Published 1, October 17, 2008 Bizarre , Courts , Criminal law , Environment Leave a Comment
David Grigorian really loves his marmoset monkey. In January, Grigorian was arrested for shouting criminal threats in front of a house — a practice common among marmoset monkeys but less tolerated in Van Nuys, California. They soon found that he had a monkey named Cheeta but no monkey permit (yes, there appears to be a “monkey permit”). When ordered to turn over the monkey, Grigorian took an idea for countless kidnap movies: he showed a picture of Cheeta holding a Mexican newspaper with Mexican decorations to prove that he was now in Mexico. The Court did not buy it and Grigorian, 43, admitted that Cheeta was hiding out in an undisclosed location in Los Angeles.
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Bad Times at the Bada Bing: Chief Judge Nottingham Accused of Trying to Get a Prostitute From the Bada Bing to Lie
Published 1, October 17, 2008 Bizarre , Courts , Criminal law , Justice , Lawyering , Society 6 Comments
Details have emerged of the expanding scandal that may have compelled Chief Judge Edward Nottingham to resign. A prostitute from the Bada Bing Club in Denver has reportedly given evidence that Nottingham was not only a regular customer but asked her to lie to cover up their relationship. Continue reading ‘Bad Times at the Bada Bing: Chief Judge Nottingham Accused of Trying to Get a Prostitute From the Bada Bing to Lie’
Chief Judge Edward Nottingham To Resign Amid Scandal
Published 1, October 16, 2008 Uncategorized 4 Comments According to the Rocky Mountain News, Chief Judge Edward Nottingham has decided to resign after months of scandal and judicial complaints.
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Joe Biden’s “Three Letter Word”: J-O-B-S
Published 1, October 16, 2008 Politics , Society 27 Comments
Senator Joe Biden schooled John McCain on a “simple three letter word” today: “J-O-B-S” He also took after “Joe the Plumber.”
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Music Teacher’s Sex Change Operation Causes Outcry at Foxboro Elementary
Published 1, October 16, 2008 Academics , Bizarre , Society 4 Comments
In Vacaville, California, parents prefers their music teachers to remain one gender — or at least give them notice when a gender changes. When a music teacher returned to school as a man after an operation, parents protested and children have been pulled from his class.
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Florida Student Sues Over Shirtless “Lustful” Picture Published in Gay Magazine
Published 1, October 16, 2008 Bizarre , Society , Torts 6 Comments
A University of Central Florida student Benjamin Massing wanted exposure as a model when he posed shirtless in a photo. He got a lot more exposure than he expected, but it was not where he expected it. Genre Magazine, a publication geared toward a readership, published the photo and Massing instantly became a gay pin-up boy. He is now suing.
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A Huntin’ We Will Go: AIG Throws Itself a Hunting Party After the Public Bailout
Published 1, October 16, 2008 Bizarre , Politics , Society 15 Comments
American Insurance Group executives have been ridiculed for spending $440,000 for entertaining themselves at a spa only days after receiving $85 billion in a public bailout. It appears that they have gotten the message. They went hunting partridges instead in England at a cost of $86,000. That is over three times the average income of the American citizens bailing them out for poor business decisions.
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Casey Anthony Arrested After Highway Car Switch
Published 1, October 15, 2008 Uncategorized 5 Comments
In Orlando, Florida, police moved in to arrest Casey Anthony after she switched cars on a highway, which police feared was an attempt to flee. She was charged shortly after an indictment was issued by the grand jury. What is most striking in the case is that her own father appears ready to testify against her. If he appears at trial, it would be very hard to wipe away the impact on the jury regardless of how talented the defense counsel may be.
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White House Directly Approved Torture in Newly Disclosed Memos
Published 1, October 15, 2008 Congress , Constitutional Law , Criminal law , Justice , Politics , Society 26 Comments
Previously classified memos from the White House confirm that torture was directly approved at the highest level of the government. The Administration has previously suggested that it rescinded the infamous torture memo signed by former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and treated that memorandum as an aberrant mistake. However, it is now confirmed that the White House approved a known form of torture to be used on detainees.
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New York Officials Send Out Absentee Ballots Listing “Barack Osama” — If Voters Correct Spelling, Their Vote is Nullified
Published 1, October 15, 2008 Bizarre , Politics , Society 14 Comments
Republican officials in the Rensselaer County Board of Elections in Troy, New York are insisting that a typographical error led to absentee ballots being sent to at least 300 voters giving them the choice of either voting for John McCain or “Barack Osama.” Worse yet, if a voter corrected the spelling, the vote is nullified.
Justice Denied When Law DeLayed: Fellow Justice Accuses Chief Justice Ken Law of Withholding Opinion in Case of Ken DeLay
Published 1, October 15, 2008 Bizarre , Congress , Courts , Criminal law , Politics , Society 5 Comments
The on-going (never-ending?) prosecution of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has taken a bizarre twist as a serious disagreement between justices has broken into the open. Justice Jan Patterson, a Democrat, is asking the Texas Supreme Court to intervene after she accused Chief Justice Ken Law, a Republican (first picture), of refusing to file her dissent in a case looking at the possible bias of fellow Justice Alan Waldrop, also a Republican (third picture).
Law Steps in to Help Poor Sod: Elderly Man Released After Neighbors Plant Grass in Yard
Published 1, October 15, 2008 Society Leave a Comment
As discussed earlier, 66-year-old grandfather, Joseph Prudente, has been sitting in jail because the fully lawned people at the Beacon Woods Civic Association secured the contempt order for his failure to keep up his front lawn. Despite national outcry, the head of the association and its lawyer believed that this was a fair response to Prudente’s failure to respond to their demands — ignoring the fact that he is on a fixed income and trying to support a daughter with two children during an economic meltdown. Now, Andy Law and his girlfriend, Mary Dinan, have shown the humanity that appears entirely absent at the Beacon Woods Civic Association.
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Former Journalist and Politician Arrested In New York for Attempted Sex With Minor
Published 1, October 15, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Media , Politics , Society 2 Comments
Former New York State Republican Assemblyman and National Public Radio (NPR) reporter Chris Ortloff has been arrested for attempting to lure a minor into having sex with him. Ortloff is currently on the state parole board and was arrested at a hotel in Colonie, N.Y.by the New York State Police Internet Crimes Task Force. He allegedly was trying to set up a sexual encounter with fictitious 11- and 12-year-old sisters.
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FBI Puts “Honor Killing” Suspect on Wanted List
Published 1, October 14, 2008 Uncategorized 2 Comments
In what may be the first such listing, the FBI is seeking the capture of Yaser Abdel Said for a double “honor killing.” Muslim groups are opposed to the use of the term, but the evidence appears to support the theory that the killings were due to the father’s “shame” that his daughters Sarah Said, 17, and Amina, 18, were dating non-Muslims. Both were killed on New Year’s Day in the back of his taxi cab.
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California First-Graders Taken to Teacher’s Same-Sex Wedding as Official Field Trip
Published 1, October 14, 2008 Academics , Bizarre , Politics , Society 13 Comments
There is an interesting feud in San Francisco after first-grade students to the wedding of their Lesbian teacher’s wedding. Opponents of same-sex marriage object that this is a major religious and political controversy and that the event (where students threw rose petals on teacher Erin Carder and her now wife Kerri McCoy) was “indoctrination.”
TSA Employee Arrested as Stealing More than 100 Items Out of Luggage and Trying to Sell Them on EBay
Published 1, October 14, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Society 13 CommentsPythias Brown
As a screener at Newark Liberty International Airport, Pythias Brown let nothing get past him — literally. He is accused of stealing over 100 valuable items like 66 cameras while working for the Transportation Security Administration. They really should have seen at least the missing cameras coming. The original Pythias (shown on the left) sat on a tripod, spoke in gibberish, and derived her name from pythein (πύθειν, “to rot”).
Democrat Tim Mahoney Snared in Sex Scandal Only Two Years After Replacing Mark Foley
Published 1, October 14, 2008 Bizarre , Politics , Society 17 CommentsThe Democrats may have just lost a seat that was going for them. Florida Democratic Rep. Tim Mahoney, who replaced Mark Foley after his page scandal, is now embroiled in his own sex scandal. That is fast work for a politician. Foley only resigned in 2006. In D.C., it usually takes an average of three years for members in engage in a lobbyist scandal, five years for a sex scandal and ten years for a criminal conspiracy.
Meet Andy Martin: The Man Behind the Obama is a Muslim Rumors
Published 1, October 13, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Politics , Religion , Society 9 Comments
The New York Times has an interesting profile of the man who is credited with fueling the false stories that Obama is a Muslim. What has been astonishing for many of us is that being a Muslim would even be an issue — even if it were true. What is even more astonishing is the man who has appeared on national television pandering this story. Andy Martin, 62, is someone barred from a court for frivolous lawsuits, barred from becoming a practicing lawyer for mental problems, and accused of hateful and antisemitic ravings in the past. He was just on Fox News as part of a story on Obama’s possible secret Muslim identity.
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Study: One in Three Recent Police Academy Graduates Have Criminal Records in Atlanta
Published 1, October 13, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Justice , Society 9 CommentsA study of recent graduates of the Atlanta Police Department’s academy shows that one out of three have criminal records. The study also found that 36 percent admitted that they had been rejected by other police departments.
Guantanamo Bay Prosecutor Calls Bush Tribunals Fundamentally Unfair and Resigns His Post
Published 1, October 13, 2008 Congress , Constitutional Law , Courts , Criminal law , Justice , Lawyering , Military , Politics , Society 12 Comments
When the military tribunals were being created at Guantanamo Bay, some of us publicly stated that we would not take cases because the rules written by the Administration were fundamentally unfair and did not recognize core principles of due process. Since then, there have been a steady stream of prosecutors and defense lawyers in the military who have resigned in protest. The latest is Lt. Col. Darrel J. Vandeveld, who decided that he could no longer live with himself as a person or an attorney to participate in such a sham legal system.
Chicago school officials are recommending the creation of a “gay-friendly” high school to accommodate rising numbers of gay and lesbian students and reduce harassment in the school system. I have long been opposed to the increasing specialization and balkanization of the public school system. While I support this worthy purpose, I believe that it has a negative impact on the goals of a public system as a whole. It is hard to oppose such schools like School for Social Justice Pride Campus, but I believe that the solution is to expel abusive and homophobic students — not remove the victims.
Putting the Prude Back Into Prudente: Florida Man Jailed for Failure to Sod Lawn
Published 1, October 12, 2008 Bizarre , Courts , Environment , Lawyering , Society 15 CommentsIn the appropriately named Bayonet Point, Florida, Joseph Prudente, 66, is in jail indefinitely for the failure to sod his grass. The good (and fully lawned) people of the Beacon Woods Civic Association secured the contempt order because Prudente is required to keep his lawn with a full and healthy display of grass. The problem is that Prudente is on a fixed income, recently had his car repossessed, and cannot afford it. The association lawyer, however, says that such jailing is merely the sign of a fair and serious legal system.
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Lawsuit Filed to Unfreeze Assets of Muslim Charity
Published 1, October 12, 2008 Bizarre , Criminal law , Politics , Religion , Society 6 Comments
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio has filed an important case. On Friday, the group filed a lawsuit on behalf of KindHearts for Charitable Humanitarian Development, Inc. The charity was founded in 2002 after the Administration shutdown other Muslim charities, including the very controversial action taken against the Holyland Foundation. Now, the Administration has frozen this charity “pending investigation.” It appears that any major Muslim charity is presumptively frozen by this Administration in a trend that should be the subject of a congressional hearing.
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Neighbor Charged with Feeding Dogs Nails and Broken Glass to Stop Barking
Published 1, October 12, 2008 Uncategorized 12 CommentsIn Pittsburgh, Brett Kolarik, 41, has confessed to feeding two dogs meatballs mixed with nails and broken glass. He will be sentenced for animal cruelty.
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The Lowest Common Denominator: Racist Displays Again Openly Displayed at Palin Rally
Published 1, October 12, 2008 Bizarre , Politics 8 Comments
Many Americans have been taken aback by the racist and hatred seen at recent McCain/Palin rallies from calls to “kill him” to openly racist displays. This guy attended a rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania with a stuffed monkey with a Barack Obama bumper sticker on its forehead. As shown in this video, he seems to see the video camera and quickly removed the sticker and gives it to a child. The family said that they did not know the man.
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