Archive for November, 2010

D.C. Council Unanimously Criminalizes Wearing Masks During Residential Protests Over Objections of Civil Libertarians

The D.C. Council has unanimously approved a law that makes it a crime to wear a mask while protesting outside of a resident. This bizarre law was passed because animal rights activists have been protesting outside of residences in Washington. The problem is that the law could be used to curtail free speech and gives the police another arbitrary basis to arrest protesters.
Continue reading ‘D.C. Council Unanimously Criminalizes Wearing Masks During Residential Protests Over Objections of Civil Libertarians’

Russian Duma Acknowledges That Stalin Personally Ordered Katyn Massacre

While democracy appears on the skids in Russia as Putin expands his power, there is one sliver of good news coming out of Moscow. The Duma has finally acknowledged that it was Josef Stalin himself who ordered the murder of roughly 20,000 Polish officers, intellectuals, and leaders in the forests of Katyn.
Continue reading ‘Russian Duma Acknowledges That Stalin Personally Ordered Katyn Massacre’

Grandmother Tortured and Burned To Death in Ghana as Witch

We have another witch burning in Africa. Madam Hemmah, 72, is a grandmother who was burned to death — allegedly at the instigation of an evangelist preacher, Pastor Samuel Fletcher Sagoe, 55. Many evangelists in Africa believe in witches. Indeed, one of Sarah Palin’s favorite ministers described himself as a witchhunter from Kenya.
Continue reading ‘Grandmother Tortured and Burned To Death in Ghana as Witch’

Birds of a Feather: Gay Activists Protest Decision to Force Two Male Vultures To Nest With Females

Two German vultures have found themselves on the front lines of gay rights after zookeepers discovered their same-sex relationship and proceeded to force them to go straight with female vultures. After the two male partners (Guido and Detlef) were forced to nest with females rather than each other, gay activists mounted a campaign alleging zoological homophobia.
Continue reading ‘Birds of a Feather: Gay Activists Protest Decision to Force Two Male Vultures To Nest With Females’

Top 100: ABA Top Blog Competition Begins

It is that time of the year for our annual blawgletting — the ABA top blog competition. We have once again been selected as one of the top 100 legal blogs (of over 3000) and nominated for the IMHO (opinion) category and it is time to release our minions upon the field of blog battle. Vote here to defend our way of life and the future of the planet.

Continue reading ‘Top 100: ABA Top Blog Competition Begins’

Rep. King Calls For Wikileaks To Be Declared Terrorist Organization And For Assange To Be Prosecuted As Spy

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), the incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, has called for WikiLeaks to be officially designated as a terrorist organization. This would, of course, allow the same designation for The New York Times and other organizations to be declared terrorists for publishing leaked stories on torture, secret prisons, or the Pentagon Papers.

Continue reading ‘Rep. King Calls For Wikileaks To Be Declared Terrorist Organization And For Assange To Be Prosecuted As Spy’

McCaskill and Graham Call For Prosecution in Wikileaks Case

While the world is reacting to leaks indicating that Saudi Arabia is funding Al Qaeda and Clinton ordered diplomats to engage in espionage, Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have called for the prosecution of those responsible for the leaks.

Continue reading ‘McCaskill and Graham Call For Prosecution in Wikileaks Case’

Trove of 271 Picasso Paintings Found in House of Retired Electrician

In what could prove one of the interesting lawsuits over art ownership in decades, the estate of Pablo Picasso has filed suit against a retired French electrician and his wife after they came forward with 271 previously unknown works by the artist. The estate is claiming illegal receipt of the works — a nice way of saying they were stolen. Pierre Le Guennec, 71, says that they were all gifts.

Continue reading ‘Trove of 271 Picasso Paintings Found in House of Retired Electrician’

Man Falls To Death During Bears-Eagles Game in Chicago

The victory of the Bears over the Eagles yesterday was marred by the death of a fan at Soldier Field — the second recent death at a major sporting event this month. The man has been identified as Stewart Haverty, 23.

Continue reading ‘Man Falls To Death During Bears-Eagles Game in Chicago’

Perfect Stocking Stuffer: The New Quantum Logic Clock

Finally, I can throw out that cheap atomic clock in my basement. For years, I have been complaining that, no matter how much I tweak by atomic clock, it is always off a second every billion years. Now, for that difficult to buy for family member who has everything, James Chou and his colleagues at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, have developed a laser-controlled quantum logic clock that oscillates at a frequency of 1.12×10^15 times per second — a million times faster than the speed of light. The only problem is that it does not tell time and does not yet come in a wrist version. However, these researchers brilliantly released the clock before Christmas.
Continue reading ‘Perfect Stocking Stuffer: The New Quantum Logic Clock’

A Sunday Frisky Feline Tale

Some of you may remember Dirty Dog!: A Sunday Pooch Poetry Post about my daughter’s yellow Lab Jack who is a bit of a rascal. Jack is frisky. He loves to chew on all manner of objects. It’s doesn’t matter whether the objects are edible or not.

 Jack has a younger brother—a cat named Rudy. Rudy is also “out of control” at times…just like his elder sibling. Rudy loves to tease Jack in a number of ways—including hiding behind walls, waiting for Jack to come around the corner, and then swatting Jack in the face with his paw.

Continue reading ‘A Sunday Frisky Feline Tale’

A Fowl Idea, A Furtive Glance, A Little Turkey Down His Pants

Deon Williams, a 19-year-old from Brooklyn, was caught shoving a 12-pound Boar’s Head turkey breast down his sweatpants on a store surveillance video. The teen then waddled out of the Fine Fare Grocery in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Alerted by cashier Michelle Benjamin of the teen’s “fowl” deed, the store butcher, Sergio Marte, chased after the poultry poacher and demanded that he return the turkey. Williams dumped the filched fowl and then punched the butcher in the jaw when he bent over to retrieve it.

Continue reading ‘A Fowl Idea, A Furtive Glance, A Little Turkey Down His Pants’

SABOTAGE!

GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has stated that his principal goal is to cause Obama to lose in 2012. Tangible improvements in the economy are key to Obama’s reelection. If, as the GOP claims, Obama’s policies are bad for the economy, then the GOP should give him everything he proposes and reap the political benefits in the 2012 election. If, on the other hand, the GOP fears that Obama’s policies will revitalize the economy, then those policies must be obstructed in any way possible.

The April raising of the debt ceiling will show if the GOP priority is the economy or their own political ambitions.

Continue reading ‘SABOTAGE!’

Rush v. Volt

Rush doesn’t like GM, whom he calls Obama Motors. GM is unionized, from a state with two Democratic Senators, and bailed out by the Obama Administration. So when GM came out with the Volt and Motor Trend magazine named it their 2011 car of the year, Rush was incredulous. How dare Motor Trend not share his bias against GM!

Rush questioned the integrity of Motor Trend and one of the magazine’s editors, Todd Lassa, responded:

Continue reading ‘Rush v. Volt’

Nail Trick

Sunday cool video time.

-David Drumm (Nal)

The Loco-Motion

The Loco-Motion

Today we have Little Eva in glorious STEREO! Music by Carole King, back when songs had melodies and people actually sang. If you not listening with headphones/earbuds, you might as well get some. I’ve got a lot of stereo yet to go.

-David Drumm (Nal)

Take My Scalia, Please!

Just ran across this gem. Who is the funniest Supreme Court Justice? A 2005 study reported in the New York Times has the answer. Boston University Professor J.D. Wexler has conducted a survey of the transcripts of  SCOTUS oral arguments, and … drum roll, please … Justice Antonin Scalia is the semi-official “Court Jester,” with 77 laughs. Justice Stephen Breyer came in second with 45, and Justice Ginsburg quipped in just four laughs. Bringing up the rear was the “Harpo Marx” of the troupe, Justice  Clarence Thomas, who added zero Continue reading ‘Take My Scalia, Please!’

Texas Priest Alleged to Have Sought Hit Man to Kill Teen Boy Who Accused Him of Sexual Abuse

John Fiala, a 52-year-old Roman Catholic priest, has been charged with soliciting a hit man to kill a teenager who had accused him of sexual abuse. Fiala, who was arrested on November 18th, is being held on $700,000 bond.

Earlier this year, the priest was named in a lawsuit brought by the teen’s family. The boy’s parents accused the priest of sexually abusing their son—and of forcing the young man to have sex with him twice at gunpoint.

Continue reading ‘Texas Priest Alleged to Have Sought Hit Man to Kill Teen Boy Who Accused Him of Sexual Abuse’

The Tea Party Meaning of Thanksgiving: Socialism Doesn’t Work

The Tea Party sees Thanksgiving as a morality tale about finding salvation in Capitalism. The Pilgrims were failed Socialists who turned to Capitalism for survival. Only after foregoing communal ownership of property and allowing private ownership did the colony prosper. (Communism could also have been used, but socialism is the bogey meme du jour.)

The actual historical details are much more interesting than the Tea Party myth.

Continue reading ‘The Tea Party Meaning of Thanksgiving: Socialism Doesn’t Work’

Pray for World Peace

Literally
see more Political Pictures

-David Drumm (Nal)

Sleighride

Sleighride

To get you in the holiday mood, we have The Ronettes in glorious STEREO! This is the first of the Phil Spector Christmas offerings so you’ll want to use headphones/earbuds to experience the “room of sound” that stereo offers.

-David Drumm (Nal)

 

Poor Bathroom Etiquette: Pregnant Woman PO’ed Over Denial of Bathroom Privileges

Long Island resident, Lindsay Ekizian, has filed an interesting case in Manhattan (NY) Supreme Court alleging that the Hammerstein Ballroom callously failed to allow her use of its restroom. The 35 weeks along mother-to-be asked politely if she could use the bathroom as she was filing out of the establishment after seeing a comedy act. Rebuffed at first, she explained to the manager that she was pregnant (wonder why that needed to be explained) and was in desperate need. “There’s a bathroom at the end of the block,” came the compassionate reply according to the plaintiff. Unable to make it to the nearby diner, Ms. Ekizian suffered an indignity best left to the imagination.  Not sure of the theory of liability (intentional infliction emotional distress?), but if there ever was a case with jury appeal here it is.

Source: New York Post

–Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger

How A “Corporate Bailout” Cost Britain A Nation: The Real Boston Tea Party

Author’s note: Last week’s entry on American History was so well-received, I thought another might be of interest:

During the cold  night of December 16, 1773, several dozen radicals,  face-painted to resemble Mohawk Indians, stole aboard three American vessels moored in Boston Harbor christened the Dartmouth, Beaver, and Eleanor. There, the band broke open 340 chests of Chinese tea belonging to the East India Company and tossed the contents overboard. Popular myth has it that the act was widely celebrated in the colonies as an act of defiance and that it was all about higher taxes on tea. Both myths are decidedly … well, mythical.

Continue reading ‘How A “Corporate Bailout” Cost Britain A Nation: The Real Boston Tea Party’

Rhea’s Secret: For the First Time, Oxygen Found on Another World

There is an amazing reported discovery of oxygen for the first time. The Cassini probe found traces of oxygen on Saturn’s moon, Rhea.
Continue reading ‘Rhea’s Secret: For the First Time, Oxygen Found on Another World’

England Arrests 15-Year-Old Girl For Allegedly Burning Koran

England has continued its move toward comprehensive blasphemy prosecution with the arrest of a 15-year-old girl for inciting religious hatred by allegedly burning a copy of the Koran (Qur’an) — and showing the act on Facebook. I have written in columns and blog entries (here and here and here) about this dangerous trend in the West as citizens are arrested for blasphemy laws.
Continue reading ‘England Arrests 15-Year-Old Girl For Allegedly Burning Koran’

Orthodox Archbishop Charged With Sexual Assault

Archbishop Kenneth William Storheim of the Orthodox Church in America, has been arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault in Canada. Families have demanded an investigation into Storheim, 64, for two years without success.
Continue reading ‘Orthodox Archbishop Charged With Sexual Assault’

Man Escapes Jail By Squeezing Through Cell Bars

Kristopher Allen White, 23, knows how to get himself out of a tight squeeze. White was able to force his body through bars in his cell that were only four and a half inches apart at the Haywood County Jail.

Continue reading ‘Man Escapes Jail By Squeezing Through Cell Bars’

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I wanted to wish all of our virtual family at the blog a Happy Thanksgiving. I am particularly thankful for the regulars on this blog who have made this site a place for civil and reasoned discussion and debate. This is my favorite holiday and I hope that each of you will have a great time today.
Continue reading ‘HAPPY THANKSGIVING’

TURKEY TORTS (2010)

In celebration of Thanksgiving, I give you our annual Turkey Torts of a few potential and actual lawsuits from this holiday. From deep-fried Turkeys to salmonella salads, the holiday gives personal injury lawyers a great deal to be thankful for.

Continue reading ‘TURKEY TORTS (2010)’

Small Bladder, Short Flight: Passenger Pulled Off Flight For Excessive Potty Breaks

Previously, we saw that going to the potty too long is a security risk if you are Muslim or of Middle Eastern descent or appearance. Now, going too many times is a security risk. A passenger on U.S. Airways from Fort Lauderdale to Denver was pulled off a plane after passengers reported that he went to the bathroom too often during the flight. It turned out he had to go to the bathroom a lot.
Continue reading ‘Small Bladder, Short Flight: Passenger Pulled Off Flight For Excessive Potty Breaks’

Professor Confronts Cheaters At University of Central Florida

Professor Richard Quinn of University of Central Florida delivered this lecture after discovering that at least one-third of the class had cheated on a midterm exam.
Continue reading ‘Professor Confronts Cheaters At University of Central Florida’

Fubar in Kandahar: Afghan and American Officials Discover That They Have Been Negotiating With Imposter for Months

You know those high-level negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan that have been touted by both the Afghan and U.S. governments? Well, it turns out that they are not so high level. In fact, the negotiator may not be with the Taliban at all. The man with whom we have been negotiated as “Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour,” one of the most senior commanders in the Taliban movement, turns out to be a nutter from Pakistan who probably could not believe everyone was negotiating with him to design the new Afghanistan. To make this FUBAR complete, one Western official admits “we gave him a lot of money.”
Continue reading ‘Fubar in Kandahar: Afghan and American Officials Discover That They Have Been Negotiating With Imposter for Months’

Prostitution May Become Legal This Saturday in Ontario

To the delight of civil libertarians and libertarians alike, the Canadian courts have been leading the world in dealing with conflicts between privacy principles and morality legislation. I am serving as an expert in the review of Canadian polygamy laws in British Columbia. In the meantime, the Ontario Superior Court may allow three prostitution laws to die this Saturday.
Continue reading ‘Prostitution May Become Legal This Saturday in Ontario’

Cedric the Entertainer: Anti-Facebook Preacher Admits To Orgies and Infidelity With Church Members

Rev. Cedric Miller is best known as the pastor who ordered his flock to discontinue their Facebook accounts because they are avenues for sin and a “portal to infidelity.” It turns out Miller didn’t really need a portal . . . he didn’t have to leave the church for infidelity. Miller has admitted to having sexual relations with a church assistant, his assistant’s wife, and Miller’s wife — sometimes at the same time. Miller warned last week that Facebook could ruin your marriage. Who needs Facebook?
Continue reading ‘Cedric the Entertainer: Anti-Facebook Preacher Admits To Orgies and Infidelity With Church Members’

Murder or Mayhem: The Life and Death of Skeeter

Police in Lakeland, Florida have a classic whodunit on their hands after finding the corpse of a local named Skeeter under a motor home. Polly Boykin, 52, was arrested for the death of the cat but has claimed “self defense” in shooting Skeeter. A court will have to decide whether Skeeter was the hunter or the hunted.
Continue reading ‘Murder or Mayhem: The Life and Death of Skeeter’

Woman Leaves Former Husband for Another Man Ten Years Ago and Then Returns to Sue Him For Millions in Lottery Wins — And Succeeds

Nigel Page, 44, can tell you about the meaning of adding insult to injury. Ten years ago, Wendy Page, 43, left Nigel for another man. She would have nothing to do with him until he suddenly changed in her eyes: after she saw him on television winning the £56million Euromillions jackpot lottery. She proceeded to call a lawyer and demand £8 million. When Nigel offered to put £2 million in a trust for their daughter, she reportedly balked and demanded the money for herself as well as an increase in child support. She succeeded in an out-of-court settlement. She will receive £2 million from the man she left for another man (who lacks a winning lottery ticket). The reason is a loophole in English divorce law that should be closed.
Continue reading ‘Woman Leaves Former Husband for Another Man Ten Years Ago and Then Returns to Sue Him For Millions in Lottery Wins — And Succeeds’

Would You Like Possession With That Popcorn? Catholic Exorcist Blames Harry Potter With Spate of Demonic Possessions

The latest Harry Potter movie is greeted by movie theaters as a record blockbuster and kids as the long-waited sequel. For one person, however, it is the start of the new season of demonic possessions. Father Thomas J. Euteneuer explained in an interview this week that Harry Potter has opened the gates of Hell for millions and triggered a spate of possessions that keep him busy.

Continue reading ‘Would You Like Possession With That Popcorn? Catholic Exorcist Blames Harry Potter With Spate of Demonic Possessions’

Doing an Ed Rooney: New York Principal Charged With Trespass in Showing Up At Home of Two Boys Who Failed To Appear At School

There is an interesting case out of Chester, New York where Chester Academy Principal Ernest Jackson has been charged with criminal trespass after he followed the lead of the character of Ed Rooney in the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and went to the house of two kids who did not show up at school. Unlike the movie, he has been charged and suspended.
Continue reading ‘Doing an Ed Rooney: New York Principal Charged With Trespass in Showing Up At Home of Two Boys Who Failed To Appear At School’

New York Hospital Sued After Amputating Woman’s Legs During Routine Surgery

Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, New York is being sued in a horrific case of alleged medical malpractice after Stacy Galette went in for a simple gynecological procedure and came out a double amputee.
Continue reading ‘New York Hospital Sued After Amputating Woman’s Legs During Routine Surgery’

Bee Keeper Allegedly Shoots Himself After Setting Up Snare Gun For Honey-Loving Bear

John Frost allegedly bagged himself in setting up a snare gun to shoot a bear in Loveland, Colorado. The bear had recently knocked over Frost’s beehive and stolen some of his honey. Police believe Frost set up a shotgun with a tripwire and then tripped the wire.

Continue reading ‘Bee Keeper Allegedly Shoots Himself After Setting Up Snare Gun For Honey-Loving Bear’

Biden: The Kiddies in Kandahar Are Getting Soooo Big

The Afghan leaders have been struggling to throw off the impression that they are merely lackeys to the American government or worse. Vice President Joe Biden did not exactly help that image by describing them on Larry King as like children to the American parentage. Biden told Larry King “Daddy is going to start to take the training wheels off in October — I mean in next July, so you’d better practice riding.” That should go over well with the kiddies in Kandahar.
Continue reading ‘Biden: The Kiddies in Kandahar Are Getting Soooo Big’

Puppy + Leaves = Cute

If it’s Sunday, it’s time for a cute puppy video.

-David Drumm (Nal)

Face and Butt See Eye-to-Eye

We have previously discussed the North Face/South Butt lawsuit, here. It was a lawsuit of the piracy/parody type, with one side claiming piracy and the other claiming parody. It seems that the two sides have come to an agreement to turn the other cheek.

Continue reading ‘Face and Butt See Eye-to-Eye’

Suspicion

Suspicion

Today we have Terry Stafford in glorious STEREO! An excellent creation best appreciated with headphones/earbuds.

-David Drumm (Nal)

Bar Medical Clinic Shutdown: “Doctor” Has a Lot To Get Off Chest

Kristina Ross, 37, is the kind of person city officials love to hate. Determined, driven, and passionate about her desire to do something good for women’s bodies in spite of  red tape, Ross now sits in a Boise, Idaho jail for undertaking a task usually reserved for men in their twenty’s. Ross, it seems, has taken the health care crisis into her own hands and decided to bring medical exams to the masses. The only problem is that her impromptu breast exams in local bars were not sanctioned by the Idaho Department of Health which has this archaic requirement that healthcare professionals actually be licensed to do what they do. As a result Ross is charged with two Continue reading ‘Bar Medical Clinic Shutdown: “Doctor” Has a Lot To Get Off Chest’

America’s Other 9/11: Ferguson and the Shot Not Heard ‘Round The World

Mention 9/11 and we are instantly catapulted into the past with keen memories of where we were and what we were doing. It is a monumental day in American history, both for its infamy and for the honor on display in the response. So too, was another September 11, 1777.

Continue reading ‘America’s Other 9/11: Ferguson and the Shot Not Heard ‘Round The World’

Don’t Touch My Junk!

Don’t want to go through the TSA’s full body scan or porn-o-scan? The TSA has an alternative: “enhanced” pat-downs. These pat-downs gropings have one objective – coerce you into going through the body scanner.

T-shirts with the logo on the left are available here.

Continue reading ‘Don’t Touch My Junk!’

Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat

Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat

Today we have Herman’s Hermits in glorious STEREO. It’s hard to find the Hermits in stereo, and an excellent job was done on this creation.

-David Drumm (Nal)

Crime & Punishment: Cross-Dressing Criminal Meets His Maker!

I’m in Orlando attending the annual convention of the National Council of Teachers of English. I was a presenter at two sessions on Friday. I was so busy for several days preparing for my presentations that I didn’t have time to research stories and write-up posts about them for the Turley Blawg this weekend. I decided to dust off an old case that I found in my Fairy Tale Crimebusters File. It’s a tale of a horrible crime against humanity committed by a dastardly lupine villain who enjoyed preying on Homo sapiens of all ages. Fortunately, the two crime victims in this case were rescued and the gluttonous perpetrator of the evil deed was swiftly—and capitally—punished.

In the Case of Little Red Riding Hood:
A wily wolf waited in the wood.
He coaxed sweet Red to pick wildflowers,
Then sneaked away and GULP! devoured
Dear old Granny, jumped in bed
With Granny’s bonnet on his head.
 

 

 

Continue reading ‘Crime & Punishment: Cross-Dressing Criminal Meets His Maker!’

(Below) River Dance Closes Lincoln Tunnel

A Florida dance troupe is learning the cultural ways of the Big Apple after they ditched their cars in the Lincoln Tunnel and dashed away on foot wearing camo. Seems our tiny dancers were late for a TV appearance on BET’s “106 & Park” show.  Those lovers of dance, the Port Authority police and the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force gave chase. The Tunnel was shut-down for 45 minutes during rush hour. Even with the rousing police escort, the dancers were late and headed back to Jacksonville still undiscovered but famous nonetheless.

Continue reading ‘(Below) River Dance Closes Lincoln Tunnel’


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