Year: 2008

A is for Autopsy . . . C is for Cadaver: High School Students Taken to Watch Another Student’s Autopsy

200px-cadaver_dissection_table_-_long_shotWaterford Kettering High School in Michigan has a curious concept of interesting learning experiences. A teacher reportedly took a class to see an autopsy of a 14-year-old girl from the Waterford Kettering middle school.
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Harsh Treatment: Salvation Army To Fire Officer For Marrying Outside of Church

0_61_120508_harshCapt. Johnny Harsh of Oshkosh, Wisconsin thought that the Lord had provided his answer to the loneliness and grief that followed the loss of his wife, Capt. Yalanda Harsh, to a heart attack. It was Cia, 56, a nurse, that he met on a Christian online dating Web site. The Salvation Army, however, then told him that he was suspended and would be thrown out entirely if he dared to find love outside of the church.
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RIAA Sues Transplant Patient for Copyright Violations and Then Secures a Default for Not Responding to the Complaint

riaa_logoFor those who view the RIAA as akin to Land of Mormor have another baffling alleged abuse to cite. Nineteen-year-old Ciara Sauro was sued for allegedly sharing 10 songs online. RIAA lawyers sued her. She didn’t respond so the lawyers secured a default judgment. She was a bit busy getting a transplant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Now it is the RIAA lawyers who refuse to respond.

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Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Four Co-Defendants Seek to Plead Guilty

_44719290_ap226bodyksmThere are reports today that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-defendants have indicated that they want to plead guilty to the charges that they are facing before a US military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It is a bizarre turn of events when the defendants were likely to see new rights granted under an Obama Administration. I will be discussing the development today on the BBC and later on Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.
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“Culture of Intoxication”: Giants Stadium Settles Dram Shop Case for $25 Million

135px-new_york_giants_helmet_rightfaceA major “dram shop” case just settled in New York that could be a forerunner to similar cases across the country. The Giants Stadium and Aramark agreed to pay $25 million to settle the case of Antonia Verni, a girl paralyzed in a crash with a drunken football fan. Usually such settlements are not public, but this settlement was revealed at the request of a public advocacy group.
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Simpsons Sex Scandal: Man Convicted of Possession of Child Pornography of Cartoon Characters

0638905800New South Wales Supreme Court Justice Michael Adams is not amused and believes John McEwan should not aroused by the Simpsons children having sex. The jurist has ruled that Bart Simpson is a “person” for the purposes of pornography and thus McEwan was properly convicted of possessing child pornography and using his computer to access child pornography.

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“Kop Buster” Claims to Nail Texas Police in Private Sting

cooper200It is unconstitutional for police to use use the heat signatures of homes to detect and raid houses suspected of growing marijuana. Ex-cop and now “Kop Buster” Barry Cooper believed that officers were still using the technology and lying on affidavits to secure search warrants. To test the theory, he rented a house in Odessa, Texas and set up some heat lights to grow Christmas trees. Sure enough, he claims, the cops showed up shortly after they threw the switch on the lamps with a warrant that he claims must have been the result of false sources (used to disguise the use of the cameras).

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Jefferson Losses Reelection and Louisiana Elects First Vietnamese-American to Congress

160px-william_jefferson_official_photocao_img1Nine-term Democratic Rep. William Jefferson has lost his reelection bid in a triumph for anti-corruption advocates. However, 47 percent of his district still wanted to send him back to Congress despite his well-earned indictment — almost the same percentage that wanted to send Sen. Ted Stevens back to Washington. The winner is Anh “Joseph” Cao, an attorney and community organizer, in the 2nd Congressional district. He will now be the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress.

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Ninth Circuit Overturns 1983 Conviction for the Murder to Two Girls

bilde3113301Prosecutorial misconduct has led to one of Nevada’s most infamous cases being overturned. An appellate panel overturned the death sentence of Ricky David Sechrest for the murder of Maggie Schindler, 10, and Carly Villa, 9, in 1983 over statements made by then-District Attorney Mills Lane. Lane is well-known to many as a syndicated television judge and a referee.

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Boston Police Officer Tickets Woman In Labor Trying to Get to Hospital

thumb_policeman_cartoonJennifer Davis and her husband, John Davis, were facing a nightmare of an expecting couple. Jennifer’s contractions had dropped from five minutes to just three minutes apart and they were stuck in the legendary Boston traffic. John pulled into the breakdown lane and pulled up behind Trooper Michael Galluccio to ask whether they could continue using the lane to reach the next exit. Galluccio not only said no, but he made them wait for him to complete a ticket and even asked Jennifer to show him what was under his shirt to prove it was a baby.

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Worker’s Paradise: Chinese Communist Officials Under Fire For Frolic With State Funds

225px-mao_zedongMao Tse-Tung once said that “a revolution is not a dinner party.” Perhaps, but it might be a good sex show in San Francisco and some gambling in Las Vegas. A lost bag found in a Shanghai subway has produced an embarrassment for the government after it yielded receipts for everything from a $700-a-night room to frolics on Hawaii beaches as part of a trip billed as teaching the officials about “Honest and Clean Government Management.”
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Living By the Ruehls: Ohio Judge Sentences Attorney to Six Months for Swearing in Court

bildeJudge Robert Ruehlman clearly does not like swearing in his courtroom. Ruehlman recently sent two men — including an attorney — to jail for six months for using foul language. This is not unique, but Ruehlman’s punishment is grossly out of line with a reasonable sanction in such cases.
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Supreme Court Grants Review in Al-Marri Enemy Combatant Case

artmarrigiIn an important vote, the Supreme Court has granted review in al-Marri v. Pucciarelli, 08-368. The case will return the issue of enemy combatants back before the Court with a new twist. The case would have to be argued by the Obama Administration, which will be given a clear opportunity to show whether all of the talk about change and civil liberties was just a pitch or true principle.
I will be discussing this case tonight on Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

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