There is an interesting lawsuit filed by a military contractor, American K-9 Detection Services, against Indian Creek Enterprises Inc. and Live Animal Transportation Services for the death of 14 bomb-sniffing dogs being shipped to Afghanistan.
Continue reading “Military Contractor Sues Over Death of 14 Dogs In Unventilated Truck”
I just saw this video on YouTube and had to share it of a cat that seems to calm a crying baby by petting it on the head.
In Jacksonville, police are being accused of arresting and beating the wrong man in response to a report of a fight on Christmas Eve. They then arrested family members who say that were just trying to stop police from beating their relative. Daisy Besancourt, 57, was charged with failure to disperse on command, after she reportedly filmed the police and refused to turn off her phone.
Continue reading “North Carolina Police Reportedly Arrest Woman Who Refuses To Turn Over Cellphone After Filming Alleged Abuse”
The previously discussed tension between Orthodox Jews and the Israeli government has reached a flash point with violent clashes in the town of Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem. Reporters have been attacked by Orthodox Jews in filming the town.
Continue reading “Orthodox Jews Clashes With Police Over Segregation of Women”
China has continued its assault on free speech with the sentencing of human rights dissident jails dissident Chen Xi for 10 years. This week, another human rights advocate, Chen Wei, was sentenced to nine years.
Continue reading “China Gives Human Rights Dissident 10 Years As “Repeat Offender” For Blogging”
We previously saw how a 36-year-old drunk driver crashed into a police cruiser. A man in Chicago, however, did one better: he crashed into a Chicago police station.
Continue reading “Chicago Drunk Driver Crashes Into Police Station”
One of the most difficult problems faced by Newt Gingrich in appealing to religious voters is his record of adultery and three marriages. His campaign insists that it was his first wife, Jackie, not Gingrich, who wanted the first divorce. However, recently released papers contradict that claim and indicate it was Newt Gingrich who wanted the divorce.
Continue reading “Court Papers Reportedly Contradict Gingrich On First Divorce”
In Texas, a family in Snyder is suing the city and five police officers after the family called paramedics that Benny Bollinger was having a heart attack on December 6, 2009. The family alleges that police showed up instead and promptly stopped his daughter Debra Bollinger, who was performing CPR. They then allegedly prevented the wife Darlene Bollinger from resuming the CPR. Benny then died later at the hospital.
An engineer from Ukraine put on an amazing display this year. This allows our readers to prepare for next year with some ideas to put your neighbors to shame.
Continue reading “And You Thought Your Holiday Lighting Was Impressive . . .”
We previously discussed the ignoble effort of the Obama Administration and U.S. airlines to claim an exemption to the European pollution taxes that applies to all other airlines. They have now lost their case before the European Court of Justice — and the Obama Administration is promising to retaliate.
We have been discussing the disconnect between citizens who have repeatedly opposed continued rollbacks of civil liberties and the Democratic and Republican leadership pushing for such rollbacks, including the recent provision allowing indefinite detention of citizens under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011 (NDAA). Now Montana citizens have decided to try another approach given the non-responsive attitude of our leaders — they are moving to remove their two Senators from office over their votes in favor of indefinite detention powers.
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
During the miserable trench warfare of WWI, a night of humanity offered some hope of peace. Arthur Conan Doyle called it “one human episode amid all the atrocities.” If Christmas means anything, it surely means this:
Christmas Day, 1914
My dear sister Janet,
It is 2:00 in the morning and most of our men are asleep in their dugouts—yet I could not sleep myself before writing to you of the wonderful events of Christmas Eve. In truth, what happened seems almost like a fairy tale, and if I hadn’t been through it myself, I would scarce believe it. Just imagine: While you and the family sang carols before the fire there in London, I did the same with enemy soldiers here on the battlefields of France!
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Here’s an acrostic poem that I wrote a few years ago. If you read down the left side of the poem, it spells out the word “wreath.”
Wrapped around itself,
Red-ribboned
Evergreen, fragrant of winter forests,
Adorned with berries, baubles, bells of gold,
Tacked to the front door…
Home for the holidays.
Happy Holidays to all!!!
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Don’t you love it when you find out that your tax dollars are actually being put to good use? I felt great when I heard that the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission (WMSRDC)—a federal- and state-designated agency that is responsible for managing and administrating the homeland security program in Montcalm County and 12 other counties—recently purchased 13 snow cone machines at a cost of $11,700 and transferred them to the counties. There is nothing like an Arctic Blast Sno-Cone 
machine to stop a terrorist in Michigan dead in his tracks—or to foil a terrorist plot in that state, doncha know?
Still, some officials in Michigan are being asked to explain the purchase of the machines, which were funded by a grant from the Michigan Homeland Security Program. Only one county requested a machine—but all 13 counties received them. It’s good to know that DHS was thinking of the safety of all the counties and not just the one that had the wisdom to request an ice-shaving machine.
Well, members of the Montcalm County Board of Commissioners wondered why the county needed a snow cone machine. They wanted to know the justification for its purchase. According to an article in The Daily News, “The Michigan Homeland Security Grant Program’s Allowable Cost Justification document, dated May 9, 2011, says the snow cone machines can make ice to prevent heat-related illnesses during emergencies, treat injuries and provide snow cones as an outreach at promotional events.”
Continue reading “Dateline Michigan: Your Tax Dollars at Work Fighting Terrorism…with Snow Cones!”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger