Month: February 2009

Federal Court Holds Stevens Prosecutors in Contempt

sullivanThe United States Justice Department has finally outdone the O.J. Simpson prosecution team as the worst in history. After derailing a relatively straightforward case with prosecutorial abuse and creating major appellate issues for former Senator Ted Stevens (R., Alaska), they have now succeeded in getting one of the most mild mannered federal judges to hold them in contempt — with obvious justification.
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Hello Kitty: Transvestite Mafia Boss Named “Kitty” Arrested in Naples

sissy-gangsterHere is your Mafia Valentine story. Ugo Gabriele, 27, a mafia boss in Naples who ran a huge drug, prostitution, and murder racket has been arrested. Police were surprised, however, to find that he insisted on being called Kitty and was now a transvestite. It appears that the mob has finally dropped its long discriminatory hiring practices and removed the glass ceiling for gay, lesbian, and transsexual mobsters.
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Mississippi Judge Bobby DeLaughter Indicted

delaughterWith the recent sentencing of Richard “Dickie” Scruggs on mail fraud charges, there was great speculation as to the fate of Mississippi Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter, who was the alleged recipient of a bribe. The speculation is now over with the indictment of the judge with conspiracy, mail fraud and obstruction. The bribery involved a promise to help secure a federal judgeship with the help of Senator Trent Lott (R., Miss.).

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Thirteen Angry Men: Mistrial Declared After Texas Man Convicted by Vote of 13-0

200px-12_angry_menNow, coming from Chicago, I find nothing curious about this story. However, District Judge Mark Kent Ellis was a bit concerned when a jury returned a conviction against Charles Mapps in only 45 minutes by a vote of 13 jurors. Some would say that would make him really really guilty, but there is a small problem of being a violation of the state constitution.

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END OF RAINBOW FOUND: POT OF GOLD MISSING

endofrain1The search is over. The end of a rainbow has been conclusively found, but there was a conspicuous absence of a pot of gold. It seems an unlikely coincidence that this missing pot is revealed on the day that Congress approves the roughly $800 billion stimulus package. Fortunately, thousands of lobbyists followed the rainbow and found almost $200 billion in highway funds at the end.

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Strike Out: Federal Judge Guts Roger Clemens’ Defamation Case Against McNamee

200px-roger_clemens_2004U.S. District Court Judge Keith Ellison gutted the defamation case of Roger Clemens against his former trainer Brian McNamee. As discussed on this blog, the case was unlikely to succeed and seemed part of Clemens’ public campaign to defend his reputation. Now, he is more likely to appear in court as a criminal defendant than as a civil litigant.
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Austrian History: FDR Caused The Great Depression

steve-austria-press-preview225px-fdr_in_1933It appears that the cause of the Depression has been finally determined with certainty. The fault for the Depression, according to Rep. Steve Austria (R-OH), was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This time traveling moment was all the more impressive since the Depression began in 1929 and Roosevelt took office in 1933.
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India Family Shot and Beheaded in “Honor Killings”

India flagThere is yet another terrible crime associated with India’s caste system. In Patna, eight members of a family where shot, beheaded, and thrown into a river after Ratan Mandal, 21, a poor villager, married Kanchan Kumari, 18, above his caste in secret. Fifteen people from the wealthy girl’s family have been charged.
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No Charges in Case of Man Dragged 19.8 Miles Under Van

images2In Queens, New York, a pedestrian was struck by a van and dragged 19.8 miles without the driver realizing that he had a body beneath his vehicle. The van was the second vehicle to hit the man and what is most remarkable is that it does not appear that either the first car or second car were hit-and-run drivers.
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With Friends Like This . . . : Stephen Colbert Endorses Turley Testimony

220px-stephen_colbert_4_by_david_shankboneTurley bloggers we have arrived. Stephen Colbert last night embraced my testimony against the D.C. voting rights bill with the type of clinging and infectious hug not seen since the Sadie Hawkins dances at the French Leper Colony.
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Texas Lawyer Sues Judge Over Stalking Comment

carlThere is an interesting case filed in Dallas, Texas where attorney Evan Lane “Van” Shaw has sued 193rd District Judge Carl Ginsberg (left) after the judge alleged that Shaw was stalking him. He is suing the judge for libel and slander. The case raises provocative questions about not just recusal but defamation.

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Right-Wing Dutch Politician Geert Wilders Challenges British Ban Over His Writings

220px-wildersEngland continues to use criminal laws and travel bans to punish individuals for controversial speech. One such controversial writer, Dutch politician Geert Wilders, now says that he is going to try to get into the country despite a ban to contest the use of such laws to punish free speech. He was invited to visit the country by a member of Parliament.
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Florida Judge Thomas Stringer Resigns Over Dealings With Stripper

image004Florida Judge Thomas E. Stringer Sr. has resigned after the disclosure of his dealings with a stripper, Christy Yamanaka, 48. Stringer was accused of helping Yamanaka of hiding assets from their creditors. The allegations were previously discussed on this blog.
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Siren Song: Pennsylvania Woman Arrested for Arson After Allegedly Being Taped Singing About the Crimes

Arson SongAmanda Gessner, 19, may have the shortest singing career in history. Police in Drexel Hill say that a surveillance camera caught Gessner signing “The fire department is going to be mad at me” before she started seven fires.

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Editor and Publisher Arrested for “Hurting the Religious Feelings” of Muslims in India

India flagIn yet another crackdown on free speech over criticism of a religion, the editor and publisher of The Statesman has been arrested for running an article that contains material insulting to Muslims. The Statesman’s editor Ravindra Kumar and publisher Anand Sinha were arrested in Calcutta.

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